ferirvsferraWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: ferir is a verb, ferra is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ferir” is a verb and “ferra” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#10,191
“ferir” frequency rank
#40,575
“ferra” frequency rank
50766
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ferir ferra
Definition causar ferimento a a operação de ferrar o gado

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
ferir
5 ch
ferra

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: ferir is averb and ferraanoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50766, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ferir is recorded at frequency rank #10,191, classified as averb, pronounced /fɨ.ˈɾiɾ/. ferra is at rank #40,575, tagged as anoun.

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 50766, this pair ranks #14,194 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of ferir vs ferra

Shared letters: efr. Private to "ferir": i. Private to "ferra": a.

"ferir" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "ferra" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ferirefrir · feirr · ferirr · ferri · ferrir · fferir · freir
  • ferraefrra · fferra · frera

Frequency comparison

ferir#10,191
ferra#40,575

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ferir" and "ferra" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ferir" is a verb and "ferra" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ferir" or "ferra"?
"ferir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,191 in our Portuguese list, against #40,575 for "ferra". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ferir vs ferra

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “ferir”; for a noun, it's “ferra”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ferir” 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