Which to use
“encantar” and “encurtar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,460
- “encantar” frequency rank
- #27,462
- “encurtar” frequency rank
- 54922
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | encantar | encurtar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | lançar encantamento ou magia sobre alguém; enfeitiçar alguém | tornar curto |
Where the eye mixes encantar and encurtar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. encantar and encurtar follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between encantar and encurtar
A purely visual mix-up. encantar (/ẽ.kɐ̃.ˈtaɾ/) and encurtar (/ẽ.kuɾ.ˈtaɾ/) 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 54922, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
encantar is recorded at frequency rank #27,460, classified as averb, pronounced /ẽ.kɐ̃.ˈtaɾ/. encurtar is at rank #27,462, tagged as averb, pronounced /ẽ.kuɾ.ˈtaɾ/.
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 54922, this pair ranks #10,930 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of encantar vs encurtar
Shared letters: acenrt. Private to "encantar": -. Private to "encurtar": u.
"encantar" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "encurtar" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "encantar" and "encurtar" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "encantar" or "encurtar"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "encantar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "encurtar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #10,930 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "encantar" and "encurtar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "encantar vs engatar". 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 #10,930 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.