definidovsdefinirWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: definido is a adjective, definir is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“definido” is an adjective and “definir” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,719
“definido” frequency rank
#4,462
“definir” frequency rank
9181
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature definido definir
Definition determinado, demarcado, delimitado, estabelecido dar ou criar uma definição

Where the eye mixes definido and definir

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. definido runs 8 letters (CVCVCVCV) against definir's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
definido
7 ch
definir

Look-alike desk: definido vs definir

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: definido is /dɨ.fɨ.ˈni.du/ while definir is /dɨ.fɨ.ˈniɾ/. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9181, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

definido is recorded at frequency rank #4,719, classified as anadj, pronounced /dɨ.fɨ.ˈni.du/. definir is at rank #4,462, tagged as averb, pronounced /dɨ.fɨ.ˈniɾ/.

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 9181, this pair ranks #64,343 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of definido vs definir

Shared letters: defin. Private to "definido": o. Private to "definir": r.

"definido" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV  ·  "definir" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • definido ← ddefinido · deffinido · defiindo · defindio · definiddo · definiod · definnido · defniido
  • definir ← ddefinir · deffinir · defiinr · definirr · definnir · definri · defniir · deifnir

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "definido" and "definir" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "definido" is an adjective and "definir" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "definido" or "definir" show up more?
"definir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,462 in our Portuguese list, against #4,719 for "definido". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "definido" and "definir" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "definido" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "definir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #64,343 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "definido" and "definir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "defendo vs definido". 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 #64,343 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list