Which to use
“defesa” is a noun and “dessa” is a contraction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #723
- “defesa” frequency rank
- #375
- “dessa” frequency rank
- 1098
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | defesa | dessa |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ato ou efeito de defender | contração da preposição de com o pronome ou determinante demonstrativo feminino essa: |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set defesa and dessa apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
defesa and dessa form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1098, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
defesa is recorded at frequency rank #723, classified as anoun. dessa is at rank #375, tagged as acontraction, pronounced /ˈdɛ.sɐ/.
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 1098, this pair ranks #74,525 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "defesa" and "dessa" be used interchangeably?
Remembering defesa vs dessa
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “defesa”; for a contraction, it's “dessa”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “defesa” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable