exceçãovsexecuçãoConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#3,327
“exceção” frequency rank
#2,322
“execução” frequency rank
5649
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature exceção execução
Definition ato ou efeito de excetuar ato ou efeito de executar, de levar a efeito

Where the eye mixes exceção and execução

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. exceção runs 7 letters (VCCVCVV) against execução's 8 (VCVCVCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
exceção
8 ch
execução

Look-alike desk: exceção vs execução

A purely visual mix-up. exceção (/ɐjʃ.sɛ.ˈsɐ̃w̃/) and execução (/e.ze.ku.ˈsɐ̃w/) 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 5649, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

exceção is recorded at frequency rank #3,327, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɐjʃ.sɛ.ˈsɐ̃w̃/. execução is at rank #2,322, tagged as anoun, pronounced /e.ze.ku.ˈsɐ̃w/.

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 5649, this pair ranks #68,930 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of exceção vs execução

Shared letters: ceoxãç. Private to "exceção": -. Private to "execução": u.

"exceção" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVV  ·  "execução" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVCVV

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "exceção" and "execução" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently (/ɐjʃ.sɛ.ˈsɐ̃w̃/ versus /e.ze.ku.ˈsɐ̃w/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "exceção" vs "execução" - which ranks higher?
"execução" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,322 in our Portuguese list, against #3,327 for "exceção". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "exceção" and "execução" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "exceção" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "execução" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #68,930 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "exceção" and "execução" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "exceção vs excerto". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #68,930 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list