dedicarvsdeixarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,725
“dedicar” frequency rank
#309
“deixar” frequency rank
6034
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dedicar deixar
Definition destinar, consagrar: soltar algo

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
dedicar
6 ch
deixar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. dedicar (/dɨ.di.ˈkaɾ/) and deixar (/dɐj.ˈʃaɾ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6034, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dedicar is recorded at frequency rank #5,725, classified as averb, pronounced /dɨ.di.ˈkaɾ/. deixar is at rank #309, tagged as averb, pronounced /dɐj.ˈʃaɾ/.

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 6034, this pair ranks #68,491 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of dedicar vs deixar

Shared letters: adeir. Private to "dedicar": c. Private to "deixar": x.

"dedicar" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "deixar" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dedicarddedicar · ddeicar · dedciar · deddicar · dediacr · dedicarr · dediccar · dedicra
  • deixarddeixar · deiaxr · deixarr · deixra · deixxar · dexiar · diexar · edixar

Frequency comparison

dedicar#5,725
deixar#309

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dedicar" and "deixar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/dɨ.di.ˈkaɾ/ versus /dɐj.ˈʃaɾ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "dedicar" or "deixar"?
"deixar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #309 in our Portuguese list, against #5,725 for "dedicar". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering dedicar vs deixar

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 “dedicar” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list