Which to use
“expansão” and “explosão” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,075
- “expansão” frequency rank
- #3,008
- “explosão” frequency rank
- 6083
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | expansão | explosão |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ato de expandir(-se) | o ato ou efeito de explodir; uma expansão violenta com barulho, como por exemplo de pólvora |
Where the eye mixes expansão and explosão
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. expansão (VCCVCCVV) and explosão (VCCCVCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between expansão and explosão
A purely visual mix-up. expansão (/ɐjʃ.pɐ̃.ˈsɐ̃w̃/) and explosão (/ɐjʃ.plu.ˈzɐ̃w̃/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6083, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
expansão is recorded at frequency rank #3,075, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɐjʃ.pɐ̃.ˈsɐ̃w̃/. explosão is at rank #3,008, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɐjʃ.plu.ˈzɐ̃w̃/.
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 6083, this pair ranks #68,412 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of expansão vs explosão
Shared letters: eopsxã. Private to "expansão": an. Private to "explosão": l.
"expansão" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVV · "explosão" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "expansão" for "explosão" ever safe?
Frequency check: "expansão" vs "explosão" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "expansão" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "explosão" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #68,412 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "expansão" and "explosão" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "expansão vs expensas". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #68,412 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.