exatovsexcetoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,642
“exato” frequency rank
#2,421
“exceto” frequency rank
7063
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature exato exceto
Definition o que não tem erro ou qualquer falta parte contra a qual se propõe exceção

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set exato and exceto apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
exato
6 ch
exceto

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. exato (/i.ˈza.tu/) and exceto (/ɐjʃ.ˈsɛ.tu/) 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 7063, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

exato is recorded at frequency rank #4,642, classified as anadj, pronounced /i.ˈza.tu/. exceto is at rank #2,421, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ɐjʃ.ˈsɛ.tu/.

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 7063, this pair ranks #67,182 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of exato vs exceto

Shared letters: eotx. Private to "exato": a. Private to "exceto": c.

"exato" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV  ·  "exceto" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • exatoeaxto · exaot · exatto · extao · exxato · xeato
  • excetoecxeto · excceto · exceot · excetto · excteo · execto · exxceto · xeceto

Frequency comparison

exato#4,642
exceto#2,421

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "exato" and "exceto" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/i.ˈza.tu/ versus /ɐjʃ.ˈsɛ.tu/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "exato" or "exceto"?
"exceto" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,421 in our Portuguese list, against #4,642 for "exato". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering exato vs exceto

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 “exato” 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