dementevsdenteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: demente is a adjective, dente is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“demente” is an adjective and “dente” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#28,930
“demente” frequency rank
#5,404
“dente” frequency rank
34334
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature demente dente
Definition que apresenta demência estrutura calcárea, dura, geralmente esmaltada, presente na boca dos animais vertebrados, usada para cortar, arrancar, triturar e moer alimentos, assim como para defesa e ataque

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
demente
5 ch
dente

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: demente is anadjective and denteanoun. On the page they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34334, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

demente is recorded at frequency rank #28,930, classified as anadj, pronounced /dɨ.ˈmẽ.tɨ/. dente is at rank #5,404, tagged as anoun.

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 34334, this pair ranks #32,967 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of demente vs dente

Shared letters: dent. Private to "demente": m. Private to "dente": -.

"demente" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "dente" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dementeddemente · deemnte · demenet · demennte · dementte · demetne · demmente · demnete
  • denteddente · denet · dennte · dentte · detne · dnete · ednte

Frequency comparison

demente#28,930
dente#5,404

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "demente" and "dente" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "demente" is an adjective and "dente" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "demente" or "dente"?
"dente" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,404 in our Portuguese list, against #28,930 for "demente". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering demente vs dente

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “demente”; for a noun, it's “dente”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “demente” 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