Which to use
“formar” and “furar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,014
- “formar” frequency rank
- #14,378
- “furar” frequency rank
- 17392
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | formar | furar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | dar forma a; constituir; compor | abrir furo, buraco ou rombo em; cavar |
Where the eye mixes formar and furar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between formar and furar
A purely visual mix-up. formar (/fuɾ.ˈmaɾ/) and furar (/fu.ˈɾaɾ/) 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 17392, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
formar is recorded at frequency rank #3,014, classified as averb, pronounced /fuɾ.ˈmaɾ/. furar is at rank #14,378, tagged as averb, pronounced /fu.ˈɾaɾ/.
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 17392, this pair ranks #53,858 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of formar vs furar
Shared letters: afr. Private to "formar": mo. Private to "furar": u.
"formar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "furar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "formar" and "furar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "formar" or "furar"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "formar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "furar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #53,858 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "formar" and "furar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fartar vs furar". 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 #53,858 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.