decisão vs divisão, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“decisão” and “divisão” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#669
“decisão” frequency rank: #2,045
“divisão” frequency rank: 2714
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	decisão	divisão
Definition	ação ou resultado de decidir	ato ou efeito de dividir

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set decisão and divisão apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch

decisão

7 ch

divisão

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. decisão (/dɨ.si.ˈzɐ̃w̃/) and divisão (/dʒi.vi.ˈzãw/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2714, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

decisão is recorded at frequency rank #669, classified as anoun, pronounced /dɨ.si.ˈzɐ̃w̃/. divisão is at rank #2,045, tagged as anoun, pronounced /dʒi.vi.ˈzãw/.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 2714, this pair ranks #72,572 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of decisão vs divisão

Shared letters: diosã. Private to "decisão": ce. Private to "divisão": v.

"decisão" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV · "divisão" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV

Frequency comparison

decisão#669

divisão#2,045

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "decisão" and "divisão" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently (/dɨ.si.ˈzɐ̃w̃/ versus /dʒi.vi.ˈzãw/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "decisão" or "divisão"?

"decisão" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #669 in our Portuguese list, against #2,045 for "divisão". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering decisão vs divisão

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “decisão” entry
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