Which to use
“def” is an adjective and “dela” is a contraction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #32,132
- “def” frequency rank
- #295
- “dela” frequency rank
- 32427
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | def | dela |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | algo muito bom | contração da preposição de e do pronome ela |
Where the eye mixes def and dela
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. def runs 3 letters (CVC) against dela's 4 (CVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses def with dela
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: def is /dɛf/ while dela is /ˈde.lɐ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs contraction), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32427, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
def is recorded at frequency rank #32,132, classified as anadj, pronounced /dɛf/. dela is at rank #295, tagged as acontraction, pronounced /ˈde.lɐ/.
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 32427, this pair ranks #35,396 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of def vs dela
Shared letters: de. Private to "def": f. Private to "dela": al.
"def" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "dela" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- dela ← ddela · deal · della · dlea · edla
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "def" and "dela" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "def" or "dela" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "def" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dela" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #35,396 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "def" and "dela" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dat vs def". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #35,396 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.