Which to use
“faltar” and “filiar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,027
- “faltar” frequency rank
- #41,026
- “filiar” frequency rank
- 48053
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | faltar | filiar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | encontrar-se sem algo do que é preciso, haver falta de, não ter aquilo que é necessário | tomar como filho, adotar |
Where the eye mixes faltar and filiar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. faltar (CVCCVC) and filiar (CVCVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses faltar with filiar
A purely visual mix-up. faltar (/faɫ.ˈtaɾ/) and filiar (/fi.ˈljaɾ/) 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 48053, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
faltar is recorded at frequency rank #7,027, classified as averb, pronounced /faɫ.ˈtaɾ/. filiar is at rank #41,026, tagged as averb, pronounced /fi.ˈljaɾ/.
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 48053, this pair ranks #17,161 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of faltar vs filiar
Shared letters: aflr. Private to "faltar": t. Private to "filiar": i.
"faltar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "filiar" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "faltar" for "filiar" ever safe?
Frequency check: "faltar" vs "filiar" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "faltar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "filiar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #17,161 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "faltar" and "filiar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "filão vs filiar". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #17,161 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.