Which to use
“desejar” and “desviar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,892
- “desejar” frequency rank
- #8,880
- “desviar” frequency rank
- 12772
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | desejar | desviar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | querer realizar algo | transitivo: |
Where the eye mixes desejar and desviar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. desejar (CVCVCVC) and desviar (CVCCVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses desejar with desviar
A purely visual mix-up. desejar (/dɨ.zɨ.ˈʒaɾ/) and desviar (/dɨʒ.ˈvjaɾ/) 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 12772, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
desejar is recorded at frequency rank #3,892, classified as averb, pronounced /dɨ.zɨ.ˈʒaɾ/. desviar is at rank #8,880, tagged as averb, pronounced /dɨʒ.ˈvjaɾ/.
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 12772, this pair ranks #59,712 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of desejar vs desviar
Shared letters: aders. Private to "desejar": j. Private to "desviar": iv.
"desejar" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "desviar" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "desejar" and "desviar" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "desejar" or "desviar" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "desejar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "desviar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #59,712 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "desejar" and "desviar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "desatar vs desviar". 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 #59,712 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.