Which to use
“desmaiar” and “destacar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,761
- “desmaiar” frequency rank
- #5,083
- “destacar” frequency rank
- 22844
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | desmaiar | destacar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | perder a consciência temporariamente | enviar em destacamento |
Where the eye mixes desmaiar and destacar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. desmaiar (CVCCVVVC) and destacar (CVCCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: desmaiar vs destacar
A purely visual mix-up. desmaiar (/dɨʒ.maj.ˈaɾ/) and destacar (/dɨʃ.tɐ.ˈkaɾ/) 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 22844, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
desmaiar is recorded at frequency rank #17,761, classified as averb, pronounced /dɨʒ.maj.ˈaɾ/. destacar is at rank #5,083, tagged as averb, pronounced /dɨʃ.tɐ.ˈkaɾ/.
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 22844, this pair ranks #47,097 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of desmaiar vs destacar
Shared letters: aders. Private to "desmaiar": im. Private to "destacar": ct.
"desmaiar" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVVC · "destacar" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "desmaiar" and "destacar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "desmaiar" or "destacar"?
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 "desmaiar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "destacar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #47,097 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "desmaiar" and "destacar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "desatar vs desmaiar". 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 #47,097 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.