Which to use
“densa” is an adjective and “desse” is a contraction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,029
- “densa” frequency rank
- #391
- “desse” frequency rank
- 16420
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | densa | desse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | forma feminina de denso | contração da preposição de com o pronome ou determinante demonstrativo esse: |
Where the eye mixes densa and desse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between densa and desse
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: densa is /ˈdẽ.sɐ/ while desse is /ˈde.sɨ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs contraction), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16420, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
densa is recorded at frequency rank #16,029, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈdẽ.sɐ/. desse is at rank #391, tagged as acontraction, pronounced /ˈde.sɨ/.
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 16420, this pair ranks #55,121 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of densa vs desse
Shared letters: des. Private to "densa": an. Private to "desse": -.
"densa" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "desse" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "densa" and "desse" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "densa" or "desse"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "densa" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "desse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #55,121 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "densa" and "desse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "denota vs densa". 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 #55,121 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.