filiar vs filtrar, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#41,026
“filiar” frequency rank: #16,765
“filtrar” frequency rank: 57791
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	filiar	filtrar
Definition	tomar como filho, adotar	fazer passar por filtro

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set filiar and filtrar apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch

filiar

7 ch

filtrar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. filiar (/fi.ˈljaɾ/) and filtrar (/fiɫ.ˈtɾaɾ/) 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 57791, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

filiar is recorded at frequency rank #41,026, classified as averb, pronounced /fi.ˈljaɾ/. filtrar is at rank #16,765, tagged as averb, pronounced /fiɫ.ˈtɾaɾ/.

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 57791, this pair ranks #9,125 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of filiar vs filtrar

Shared letters: afilr. Private to "filiar": -. Private to "filtrar": t.

"filiar" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "filtrar" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

filiar ← ffiliar · fiilar · filair · filiarr · filira · filliar · fliiar · ifliar
filtrar ← ffiltrar · filltrar · filrtar · filtarr · filtrarr · filtrra · filtrrar · filttrar

Frequency comparison

filiar#41,026

filtrar#16,765

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "filiar" and "filtrar" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently (/fi.ˈljaɾ/ versus /fiɫ.ˈtɾaɾ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "filiar" or "filtrar"?

"filtrar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,765 in our Portuguese list, against #41,026 for "filiar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering filiar vs filtrar

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