eternovsexternoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,945
“eterno” frequency rank
#6,420
“externo” frequency rank
12365
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature eterno externo
Definition que não tem princípio nem terá fim que está do lado de fora

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set eterno and externo apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
eterno
7 ch
externo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

eterno and externo 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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12365, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

eterno is recorded at frequency rank #5,945, classified as anadj. externo is at rank #6,420, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ɪs.ˈter.nu/.

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 12365, this pair ranks #60,255 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of eterno vs externo

Shared letters: enort. Private to "eterno": -. Private to "externo": x.

"eterno" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV  ·  "externo" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • eternoeetrno · etenro · eternno · eteron · eterrno · etreno · etterno · teerno
  • externoetxerno · exetrno · extenro · externno · exteron · exterrno · extreno · extterno

Frequency comparison

eterno#5,945
externo#6,420

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "eterno" and "externo" be used interchangeably?
No. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Which is more common, "eterno" or "externo"?
"eterno" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,945 in our Portuguese list, against #6,420 for "externo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering eterno vs externo

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 “eterno” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list