decorarvsdelirarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#12,860
“decorar” frequency rank
#37,744
“delirar” frequency rank
50604
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature decorar delirar
Definition aprender de cor, memorizar: estar em delírio

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
decorar
7 ch
delirar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

decorar and delirar are indexed as a confusable Portuguese pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50604, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

decorar is recorded at frequency rank #12,860, classified as averb. delirar is at rank #37,744, tagged as averb, pronounced /dɨ.li.ˈɾaɾ/.

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 50604, this pair ranks #14,356 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of decorar vs delirar

Shared letters: ader. Private to "decorar": co. Private to "delirar": il.

"decorar" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "delirar" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • decorardceorar · ddecorar · deccorar · decoarr · decorarr · decorra · decorrar · decroar
  • delirarddelirar · deilrar · deliarr · delirarr · delirra · delirrar · dellirar · delriar

Frequency comparison

decorar#12,860
delirar#37,744

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "decorar" and "delirar" be used interchangeably?
No. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Which is more common, "decorar" or "delirar"?
"decorar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,860 in our Portuguese list, against #37,744 for "delirar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering decorar vs delirar

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 “decorar” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list