Which to use
“derrotar” and “derrubar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,137
- “derrotar” frequency rank
- #4,305
- “derrubar” frequency rank
- 11442
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | derrotar | derrubar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | vencer os adversários numa competição | abater; fazer cair; pôr abaixo; deitar por terra |
Where the eye mixes derrotar and derrubar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. derrotar and derrubar follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: derrotar vs derrubar
A purely visual mix-up. derrotar (/dɨ.Ru.ˈtaɾ/) 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 11442, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
derrotar is recorded at frequency rank #7,137, classified as averb, pronounced /dɨ.Ru.ˈtaɾ/. 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 11442, this pair ranks #61,388 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of derrotar vs derrubar
Shared letters: ader. Private to "derrotar": ot. Private to "derrubar": bu.
"derrotar" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "derrubar" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "derrotar" for "derrubar" ever safe?
Which is more common, "derrotar" or "derrubar"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "derrotar" 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 #61,388 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "derrotar" and "derrubar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "debruçar vs derrubar". 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 #61,388 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.