embalagemvsestalagemConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#13,498
“embalagem” frequency rank
#38,696
“estalagem” frequency rank
52194
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature embalagem estalagem
Definition ato ou efeito de embalar; casa de comidas e dormidas

Where the eye mixes embalagem and estalagem

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. embalagem and estalagem follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

9 ch
embalagem
9 ch
estalagem

Visual trap between embalagem and estalagem

A purely visual mix-up. embalagem (/ẽ.bɐ.ˈla.ʒɐ̃j̃/) and estalagem (/iʃ.tɐ.ˈla.ʒɐ̃j̃/) 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 52194, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

embalagem is recorded at frequency rank #13,498, classified as anoun, pronounced /ẽ.bɐ.ˈla.ʒɐ̃j̃/. estalagem is at rank #38,696, tagged as anoun, pronounced /iʃ.tɐ.ˈla.ʒɐ̃j̃/.

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 52194, this pair ranks #12,953 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of embalagem vs estalagem

Shared letters: aeglm. Private to "embalagem": b. Private to "estalagem": st.

"embalagem" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC  ·  "estalagem" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • embalagem ← ebmalagem · emablagem · embaalgem · embalaegm · embalagemm · embalaggem · embalagme · embalgaem
  • estalagem ← esatlagem · esstalagem · estaalgem · estalaegm · estalagemm · estalaggem · estalagme · estalgaem

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "embalagem" and "estalagem" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ẽ.bɐ.ˈla.ʒɐ̃j̃/ versus /iʃ.tɐ.ˈla.ʒɐ̃j̃/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "embalagem" or "estalagem" show up more?
"embalagem" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,498 in our Portuguese list, against #38,696 for "estalagem". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "embalagem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "estalagem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #12,953 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "embalagem" and "estalagem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "estalagem vs estiagem". 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 #12,953 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