Which to use
“dependência” and “descendência” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,841
- “dependência” frequency rank
- #14,818
- “descendência” frequency rank
- 20659
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dependência | descendência |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ato ou efeito de depender | conjunto de descendentes (filhos, netos, etc) de uma pessoa |
Where the eye mixes dependência and descendência
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. dependência runs 11 letters (CVCVCCVCCVV) against descendência's 12 (CVCCVCCVCCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: dependência vs descendência
A purely visual mix-up. dependência (/dɨ.pẽ.ˈdẽ.sjɐ/) and descendência (/dɨʃ.sẽ.ˈdẽ.sjɐ/) 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 20659, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dependência is recorded at frequency rank #5,841, classified as anoun, pronounced /dɨ.pẽ.ˈdẽ.sjɐ/. descendência is at rank #14,818, tagged as anoun, pronounced /dɨʃ.sẽ.ˈdẽ.sjɐ/.
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 20659, this pair ranks #49,789 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dependência vs descendência
Shared letters: acdeinê. Private to "dependência": p. Private to "descendência": s.
"dependência" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCVV · "descendência" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCCVCCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dependência" and "descendência" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "dependência" or "descendência" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "dependência" and "descendência" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "dependência" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "descendência" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #49,789 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
Confusion rank #49,789 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.