Which to use
“espalhar” and “espancar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,417
- “espalhar” frequency rank
- #22,307
- “espancar” frequency rank
- 27724
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | espalhar | espancar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | distribuir sobre uma superfície | bater, surrar, desancar |
Letter map: espalhar vs espancar
Shared letters muted; letters that set espalhar and espancar apart highlighted. Shared run: 6. espalhar and espancar follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Pair insight - espalhar / espancar
espalhar and espancar are indexed as a confusable Portuguese pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27724, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
espalhar is recorded at frequency rank #5,417, classified as averb. espancar is at rank #22,307, tagged as averb, pronounced /iʃ.pɐ̃.ˈkaɾ/.
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 27724, this pair ranks #41,222 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of espalhar vs espancar
Shared letters: aeprs. Private to "espalhar": hl. Private to "espancar": cn.
"espalhar" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "espancar" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "espalhar" for "espancar" ever safe?
Which is more common, "espalhar" or "espancar"?
Useful next steps
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "espalhar" and "espancar".
- Full dictionary entry for "espalhar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "espancar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #41,222 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "espalhar" and "espancar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "espancar vs estancar". 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 #41,222 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.