Which to use
“distinção” and “distração” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,169
- “distinção” frequency rank
- #18,569
- “distração” frequency rank
- 24738
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | distinção | distração |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | o fato de distinguir | ato ou efeito de distrair(-se) |
Letter map: distinção vs distração
Shared letters muted; letters that set distinção and distração apart highlighted. Shared run: 7. distinção (CVCCVCCVV) and distração (CVCCCVCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Corpus notes: distinção and distração
distinção and distração are indexed as a confusable Portuguese pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24738, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
distinção is recorded at frequency rank #6,169, classified as anoun. distração is at rank #18,569, tagged as anoun, pronounced /diʃ.tɾa.ˈsɐ̃w̃/.
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 24738, this pair ranks #44,790 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of distinção vs distração
Shared letters: diostãç. Private to "distinção": n. Private to "distração": ar.
"distinção" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVV · "distração" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "distinção" and "distração" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "distinção" or "distração" show up more?
What to do next
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "distinção" and "distração".
- Full dictionary entry for "distinção" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "distração" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #44,790 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "distinção" and "distração" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "distensão vs distinção". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #44,790 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.