Which to use
“espada” and “espia” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,230
- “espada” frequency rank
- #41,012
- “espia” frequency rank
- 45242
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | espada | espia |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | arma branca composta por um punho e uma lâmina pontiaguda e comprida, com um ou dois gumes | pessoa que observa escondida |
Where the eye mixes espada and espia
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: espada vs espia
A purely visual mix-up. espada ([ɪs.ˈpa.dɐ] ; [es.ˈpa.dɐ]) and espia (/iʃ.ˈpi.ɐ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45242, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
espada is recorded at frequency rank #4,230, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɪs.ˈpa.dɐ] ; [es.ˈpa.dɐ]. espia is at rank #41,012, tagged as anoun, pronounced /iʃ.ˈpi.ɐ/.
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 45242, this pair ranks #20,159 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of espada vs espia
Shared letters: aeps. Private to "espada": d. Private to "espia": i.
"espada" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "espia" · 5 letters · shape VCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "espada" and "espia" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "espada" or "espia" show up more?
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 "espada" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "espia" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #20,159 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "espada" and "espia" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "espia vs espinal". 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 #20,159 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.