detectorvsdetestarConfusable pair

Quick tell: detector is a noun, detestar is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“detector” is a noun and “detestar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#16,998
“detector” frequency rank
#41,446
“detestar” frequency rank
58444
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature detector detestar
Definition aparelho ou instrumento que serve para detectar a presença de substâncias em um determinado ambiente sentir ódio por

Letter map: detector vs detestar

Shared letters muted; letters that set detector and detestar apart highlighted. Shared run: 6. detector and detestar follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

8 ch
detector
8 ch
detestar

Grammar separator: detector vs detestar

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: detector is anoun and detestaraverb. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58444, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

detector is recorded at frequency rank #16,998, classified as anoun. detestar is at rank #41,446, tagged as averb, pronounced /de.teʃ.ˈtaχ/, /de.teʃ.ˈta/.

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 58444, this pair ranks #8,734 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of detector vs detestar

Shared letters: dert. Private to "detector": co. Private to "detestar": as.

"detector" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC  ·  "detestar" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • detector ← ddetector · deetctor · detcetor · detecctor · detecotr · detectorr · detectro · detecttor
  • detestar ← ddetestar · deetstar · detesatr · detesstar · detestarr · detestra · detesttar · detetsar

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "detector" for "detestar" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "detector" is a noun and "detestar" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "detector" or "detestar"?
"detector" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,998 in our Portuguese list, against #41,446 for "detestar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pair "detector" vs "detestar" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.

  • Full dictionary entry for "detector" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "detestar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #8,734 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "detector" and "detestar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "degustar vs detestar". 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 #8,734 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list