dementevsdormenteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#28,930
“demente” frequency rank
#32,568
“dormente” frequency rank
61498
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature demente dormente
Definition que apresenta demência que está dormido ou dormida, adormecido

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set demente and dormente apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
demente
8 ch
dormente

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. demente (/dɨ.ˈmẽ.tɨ/) and dormente (/duɾ.ˈmẽ.tɨ/) 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 61498, 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/. dormente is at rank #32,568, tagged as anadj, pronounced /duɾ.ˈmẽ.tɨ/.

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 61498, this pair ranks #7,109 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of demente vs dormente

Shared letters: demnt. Private to "demente": -. Private to "dormente": or.

"demente" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "dormente" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dementeddemente · deemnte · demenet · demennte · dementte · demetne · demmente · demnete
  • dormenteddormente · domrente · doremnte · dormenet · dormennte · dormentte · dormetne · dormmente

Frequency comparison

demente#28,930
dormente#32,568

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "demente" and "dormente" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/dɨ.ˈmẽ.tɨ/ versus /duɾ.ˈmẽ.tɨ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "demente" or "dormente"?
"demente" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,930 in our Portuguese list, against #32,568 for "dormente". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering demente vs dormente

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 “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