Which to use
“errado” is an adjective and “errar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #697
- “errado” frequency rank
- #10,525
- “errar” frequency rank
- 11222
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | errado | errar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | incorreto | cometer erro em |
Where the eye mixes errado and errar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between errado and errar
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: errado is /i.ˈRa.du/ while errar is /i.ˈRaɾ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11222, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
errado is recorded at frequency rank #697, classified as anadj, pronounced /i.ˈRa.du/. errar is at rank #10,525, tagged as averb, pronounced /i.ˈRaɾ/.
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 11222, this pair ranks #61,680 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of errado vs errar
Shared letters: aer. Private to "errado": do. Private to "errar": -.
"errado" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "errar" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "errado" for "errar" ever safe?
Frequency check: "errado" vs "errar" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "errado" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "errar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #61,680 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "errado" and "errar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "errar vs erre". 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 #61,680 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.