Which to use
“estragar” is a verb and “estrago” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,943
- “estragar” frequency rank
- #12,434
- “estrago” frequency rank
- 18377
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | estragar | estrago |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | causar estrago em | deterioração, prejuízo, dano |
Where the eye mixes estragar and estrago
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. estragar runs 8 letters (VCCCVCVC) against estrago's 7 (VCCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses estragar with estrago
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: estragar is /iʃ.tɾɐ.ˈɡaɾ/ while estrago is /iʃ.ˈtɾa.ɡu/. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18377, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
estragar is recorded at frequency rank #5,943, classified as averb, pronounced /iʃ.tɾɐ.ˈɡaɾ/. estrago is at rank #12,434, tagged as anoun, pronounced /iʃ.ˈtɾa.ɡu/.
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 18377, this pair ranks #52,620 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of estragar vs estrago
Shared letters: aegrst. Private to "estragar": -. Private to "estrago": o.
"estragar" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC · "estrago" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "estragar" and "estrago" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "estragar" or "estrago"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "estragar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "estrago" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #52,620 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "estragar" and "estrago" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "estagiar vs estragar". 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 #52,620 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.