Which to use
“dobrar” is a verb and “dobrou” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,043
- “dobrar” frequency rank
- #21,432
- “dobrou” frequency rank
- 33475
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dobrar | dobrou |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | dar a alguma coisa uma forma semelhante à de uma curva; fazer inclinar | acusativo feminino singular de dobrý |
Letter map: dobrar vs dobrou
Shared letters muted; letters that set dobrar and dobrou apart highlighted. Shared run: 4. dobrar (CVCCVC) and dobrou (CVCCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Grammar separator: dobrar vs dobrou
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: dobrar is averb and dobrouanadjective. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33475, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dobrar is recorded at frequency rank #12,043, classified as averb, pronounced /doˈbɾa(ʁ)/ [doˈbɾa(h)]. dobrou is at rank #21,432, tagged as anadj.
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 33475, this pair ranks #34,041 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dobrar vs dobrou
Shared letters: bdor. Private to "dobrar": a. Private to "dobrou": u.
"dobrar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "dobrou" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "dobrar" for "dobrou" ever safe?
Which is more common, "dobrar" or "dobrou"?
What to do next
Pair "dobrar" vs "dobrou" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "dobrar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dobrou" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #34,041 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dobrar" and "dobrou" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dobrar vs domar". 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 #34,041 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.