emitirvsexigirWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#8,888
“emitir” frequency rank
#6,293
“exigir” frequency rank
15181
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature emitir exigir
Definition expedir requerer, reclamar em virtude de um direito

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set emitir and exigir apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
emitir
6 ch
exigir

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. emitir (/i.mi.ˈtiɾ/) and exigir (/i.zi.ˈʒiɾ/) 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 15181, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

emitir is recorded at frequency rank #8,888, classified as averb, pronounced /i.mi.ˈtiɾ/. exigir is at rank #6,293, tagged as averb, pronounced /i.zi.ˈʒiɾ/.

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 15181, this pair ranks #56,704 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of emitir vs exigir

Shared letters: eir. Private to "emitir": mt. Private to "exigir": gx.

"emitir" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC  ·  "exigir" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • emitireimtir · emiitr · emitirr · emitri · emittir · emmitir · emtiir · meitir
  • exigireixgir · exgiir · exiggir · exigirr · exigri · exiigr · exxigir · xeigir

Frequency comparison

emitir#8,888
exigir#6,293

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "emitir" and "exigir" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/i.mi.ˈtiɾ/ versus /i.zi.ˈʒiɾ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "emitir" or "exigir"?
"exigir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,293 in our Portuguese list, against #8,888 for "emitir". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering emitir vs exigir

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “emitir” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list