Which to use
“dessa” is a contraction and “devassa” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #375
- “dessa” frequency rank
- #31,330
- “devassa” frequency rank
- 31705
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dessa | devassa |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | contração da preposição de com o pronome ou determinante demonstrativo feminino essa: | ação ou resultado de devassar |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dessa and devassa apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
dessa and devassa form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31705, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dessa is recorded at frequency rank #375, classified as acontraction, pronounced /ˈdɛ.sɐ/. devassa is at rank #31,330, tagged as anoun, pronounced /dɨ.ˈva.sɐ/.
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 31705, this pair ranks #36,298 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dessa" and "devassa" be used interchangeably?
Remembering dessa vs devassa
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a contraction, it's “dessa”; for a noun, it's “devassa”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dessa” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable