Which to use
“descrição” and “destruição” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,369
- “descrição” frequency rank
- #2,872
- “destruição” frequency rank
- 5241
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | descrição | destruição |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | o ato ou método de descrever | ato ou efeito de destruir |
Where the eye mixes descrição and destruição
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. descrição runs 9 letters (CVCCCVCVV) against destruição's 10 (CVCCCVVCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses descrição with destruição
A purely visual mix-up. descrição (/dɨʃ.kɾi.ˈsɐ̃w̃/) and destruição (/dɨʃ.tɾu.i.ˈsɐ̃w̃/) 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 5241, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
descrição is recorded at frequency rank #2,369, classified as anoun, pronounced /dɨʃ.kɾi.ˈsɐ̃w̃/. destruição is at rank #2,872, tagged as anoun, pronounced /dɨʃ.tɾu.i.ˈsɐ̃w̃/.
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 5241, this pair ranks #69,426 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of descrição vs destruição
Shared letters: deiorsãç. Private to "descrição": c. Private to "destruição": tu.
"descrição" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVV · "destruição" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVVCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "descrição" for "destruição" ever safe?
Which is more common, "descrição" or "destruição"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "descrição" and "destruição" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "descrição" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "destruição" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #69,426 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "descrição" and "destruição" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "descrição vs deserção". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #69,426 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.