derramarvsderrotarWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#20,270
“derramar” frequency rank
#7,137
“derrotar” frequency rank
27407
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature derramar derrotar
Definition deixar correr para fora; verter; espalhar; entornar; despejar; virar vencer os adversários numa competição

Where the eye mixes derramar and derrotar

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. derramar and derrotar follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

8 ch
derramar
8 ch
derrotar

Look-alike desk: derramar vs derrotar

A purely visual mix-up. derramar (/dɨ.Rɐ.ˈmaɾ/) and derrotar (/dɨ.Ru.ˈtaɾ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27407, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

derramar is recorded at frequency rank #20,270, classified as averb, pronounced /dɨ.Rɐ.ˈmaɾ/. derrotar is at rank #7,137, tagged as averb, pronounced /dɨ.Ru.ˈtaɾ/.

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 27407, this pair ranks #41,554 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of derramar vs derrotar

Shared letters: ader. Private to "derramar": m. Private to "derrotar": ot.

"derramar" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "derrotar" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • derramar ← dderramar · deramar · derarmar · derraamr · derramarr · derrammar · derramra · derrmaar
  • derrotar ← dderrotar · derortar · derotar · derroatr · derrotarr · derrotra · derrottar · derrtoar

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "derramar" and "derrotar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/dɨ.Rɐ.ˈmaɾ/ versus /dɨ.Ru.ˈtaɾ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "derramar" or "derrotar"?
"derrotar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,137 in our Portuguese list, against #20,270 for "derramar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "derramar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "derrotar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #41,554 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "derramar" and "derrotar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "degradar vs derramar". 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 #41,554 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