fugirvsfútilWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: fugir is a verb, fútil is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“fugir” is a verb and “fútil” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,427
“fugir” frequency rank
#22,994
“fútil” frequency rank
25421
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fugir fútil
Definition retirar-se incapaz de produzir qualquer resultado; inútil

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set fugir and fútil apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
fugir
5 ch
fútil

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: fugir is /fu.ˈʒiɾ/ while fútil is /ˈfu.tiɫ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25421, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fugir is recorded at frequency rank #2,427, classified as averb, pronounced /fu.ˈʒiɾ/. 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 25421, this pair ranks #43,896 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of fugir vs fútil

Shared letters: fi. Private to "fugir": gru. Private to "fútil": ltú.

"fugir" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "fútil" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fugirffugir · fguir · fuggir · fugirr · fugri · fuigr · ufgir

Frequency comparison

fugir#2,427
fútil#22,994

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fugir" and "fútil" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "fugir" is a verb and "fútil" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "fugir" or "fútil"?
"fugir" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,427 in our Portuguese list, against #22,994 for "fútil". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering fugir vs fútil

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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