Which to use
“fértil” and “fútil” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,471
- “fértil” frequency rank
- #22,994
- “fútil” frequency rank
- 34465
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fértil | fútil |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | que produz ou é capaz de produzir vegetação, colheitas, etc | incapaz de produzir qualquer resultado; inútil |
Where the eye mixes fértil and fútil
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. fértil runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against fútil's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between fértil and fútil
A purely visual mix-up. fértil (/ˈfɛʁ.t͡ʃiw/ [ˈfɛh.t͡ʃiʊ̯]) and fútil (/ˈfu.tiɫ/) 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 34465, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fértil is recorded at frequency rank #11,471, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈfɛʁ.t͡ʃiw/ [ˈfɛh.t͡ʃiʊ̯]. fútil is at rank #22,994, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈfu.tiɫ/.
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 34465, this pair ranks #32,789 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of fértil vs fútil
Shared letters: filt. Private to "fértil": ré. Private to "fútil": ú.
"fértil" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "fútil" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "fértil" and "fútil" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "fértil" or "fútil" show up more?
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 "fértil" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fútil" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #32,789 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fértil" and "fútil" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fútbol vs fútil". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #32,789 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.