Which to use
“distração” is a noun and “distraído” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,569
- “distração” frequency rank
- #18,837
- “distraído” frequency rank
- 37406
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | distração | distraído |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ato ou efeito de distrair(-se) | que sofreu distração |
Where the eye mixes distração and distraído
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. distração (CVCCCVCVV) and distraído (CVCCCVVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: distração vs distraído
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: distração is /diʃ.tɾa.ˈsɐ̃w̃/ while distraído is /diʃ.tɾɐ.ˈi.du/. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37406, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
distração is recorded at frequency rank #18,569, classified as anoun, pronounced /diʃ.tɾa.ˈsɐ̃w̃/. distraído is at rank #18,837, tagged as anadj, pronounced /diʃ.tɾɐ.ˈi.du/.
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 37406, this pair ranks #29,209 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of distração vs distraído
Shared letters: adiorst. Private to "distração": ãç. Private to "distraído": í.
"distração" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVV · "distraído" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "distração" for "distraído" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "distração" or "distraído" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "distração" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "distraído" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #29,209 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "distração" and "distraído" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "distorção vs distração". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #29,209 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.