distorçãovsdistraçãoWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“distorção” and “distração” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#16,034
“distorção” frequency rank
#18,569
“distração” frequency rank
34603
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature distorção distração
Definition ato ou resultante de distorcer ato ou efeito de distrair(-se)

Where the eye mixes distorção and distração

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. distorção (CVCCVCCVV) and distração (CVCCCVCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

9 ch
distorção
9 ch
distração

Visual trap between distorção and distração

A purely visual mix-up. distorção (/diʃ.tuɾ.ˈsɐ̃w̃/) and distração (/diʃ.tɾa.ˈsɐ̃w̃/) 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 34603, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

distorção is recorded at frequency rank #16,034, classified as anoun, pronounced /diʃ.tuɾ.ˈsɐ̃w̃/. 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 34603, this pair ranks #32,617 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of distorção vs distração

Shared letters: diorstãç. Private to "distorção": -. Private to "distração": a.

"distorção" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVV  ·  "distração" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVV

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "distorção" and "distração" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently (/diʃ.tuɾ.ˈsɐ̃w̃/ versus /diʃ.tɾa.ˈsɐ̃w̃/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "distorção" vs "distração" - which ranks higher?
"distorção" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,034 in our Portuguese list, against #18,569 for "distração". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "distorção" and "distração" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "distorção" 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 #32,617 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "distorção" and "distração" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "distração vs distraído". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #32,617 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