derramarvsderrubarWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#20,270
“derramar” frequency rank
#4,305
“derrubar” frequency rank
24575
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature derramar derrubar
Definition deixar correr para fora; verter; espalhar; entornar; despejar; virar abater; fazer cair; pôr abaixo; deitar por terra

Where the eye mixes derramar and derrubar

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. derramar and derrubar 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
derrubar

Look-alike desk: derramar vs derrubar

A purely visual mix-up. derramar (/dɨ.Rɐ.ˈmaɾ/) and derrubar (/dɨ.Ru.ˈbaɾ/) 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 24575, 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/. derrubar is at rank #4,305, tagged as averb, pronounced /dɨ.Ru.ˈbaɾ/.

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 24575, this pair ranks #44,998 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of derramar vs derrubar

Shared letters: ader. Private to "derramar": m. Private to "derrubar": bu.

"derramar" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "derrubar" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • derramar ← dderramar · deramar · derarmar · derraamr · derramarr · derrammar · derramra · derrmaar
  • derrubar ← dderrubar · derrbuar · derruabr · derrubarr · derrubbar · derrubra · derubar · derurbar

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "derramar" and "derrubar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently (/dɨ.Rɐ.ˈmaɾ/ versus /dɨ.Ru.ˈbaɾ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "derramar" or "derrubar"?
"derrubar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,305 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

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "derramar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "derrubar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #44,998 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "derramar" and "derrubar" 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 #44,998 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