Which to use
“dessa” is a contraction and “disse” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #375
- “dessa” frequency rank
- #176
- “disse” frequency rank
- 551
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dessa | disse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | contração da preposição de com o pronome ou determinante demonstrativo feminino essa: | primeira pessoa do singular do pretérito perfeito do indicativo do verbo dizer |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dessa and disse apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dessa is /ˈdɛ.sɐ/ while disse is [ˈʤi.se]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (contraction vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 551, 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/. disse is at rank #176, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʤi.se].
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 551, this pair ranks #75,120 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of dessa vs disse
Shared letters: des. Private to "dessa": a. Private to "disse": i.
"dessa" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "disse" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dessa" and "disse" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "dessa" or "disse"?
Remembering dessa vs disse
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a contraction, it's “dessa”; for a verb, it's “disse”.
- 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