esmerovsespetoConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#44,347
“esmero” frequency rank
#31,356
“espeto” frequency rank
75703
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature esmero espeto
Definition cuidado para produzir uma qualidade máxima no feitio de algo haste de ferro ou pau pontiagudo para assar carne ou peixe

Where the eye mixes esmero and espeto

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
esmero
6 ch
espeto

Look-alike desk: esmero vs espeto

A purely visual mix-up. esmero (/iʒ.ˈme.ɾu/) and espeto (/iʃ.ˈpe.tu/) 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 75703, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

esmero is recorded at frequency rank #44,347, classified as anoun, pronounced /iʒ.ˈme.ɾu/. espeto is at rank #31,356, tagged as anoun, pronounced /iʃ.ˈpe.tu/.

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 75703, this pair ranks #2,247 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of esmero vs espeto

Shared letters: eos. Private to "esmero": mr. Private to "espeto": pt.

"esmero" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV  ·  "espeto" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • esmeroemsero · esemro · esmeor · esmerro · esmmero · esmreo · essmero · semero
  • espetoepseto · esepto · espeot · espetto · esppeto · espteo · esspeto · sepeto

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "esmero" and "espeto" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/iʒ.ˈme.ɾu/ versus /iʃ.ˈpe.tu/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "esmero" vs "espeto" - which ranks higher?
"espeto" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,356 in our Portuguese list, against #44,347 for "esmero". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "esmero" and "espeto" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "esmero" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "espeto" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #2,247 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "esmero" and "espeto" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "esmero vs esterno". 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 #2,247 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