fácil vs frágil, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#464
“fácil” frequency rank: #7,158
“frágil” frequency rank: 7622
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	fácil	frágil
Definition	diz-se do que não é nem duro nem difícil de se realizar, daquilo que não exige muito trabalho ou esforço	quebradiço

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch

fácil

6 ch

frágil

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

fácil and frágil 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 7622, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fácil is recorded at frequency rank #464, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈfa.siɫ/. frágil is at rank #7,158, tagged as anadj.

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 7622, this pair ranks #66,489 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fácil vs frágil

Shared letters: filá. Private to "fácil": c. Private to "frágil": gr.

"fácil" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "frágil" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Frequency comparison

fácil#464

frágil#7,158

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fácil" and "frágil" 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, "fácil" or "frágil"?

"fácil" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #464 in our Portuguese list, against #7,158 for "frágil". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering fácil vs frágil

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