Which to use
“espia” and “espião” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #41,012
- “espia” frequency rank
- #13,286
- “espião” frequency rank
- 54298
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | espia | espião |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | pessoa que observa escondida | pessoa empregada por um governo ou companhia para obter informações secretas sobre outro governo ou companhia |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set espia and espião apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
espia and espião form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54298, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
espia is recorded at frequency rank #41,012, classified as anoun, pronounced /iʃ.ˈpi.ɐ/. espião is at rank #13,286, tagged as anoun.
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 54298, this pair ranks #11,373 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "espia" and "espião" be used interchangeably?
Remembering espia vs espião
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “espia” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable