Which to use
“funcionar” is a verb and “funcionário” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,205
- “funcionar” frequency rank
- #4,154
- “funcionário” frequency rank
- 7359
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | funcionar | funcionário |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | realizar uma determinada função ou trabalho que se espera ser realizado | pessoa que trabalha para uma empresa ou para o Estado |
Where the eye mixes funcionar and funcionário
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between funcionar and funcionário
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: funcionar is /fũ.sju.ˈnaɾ/ while funcionário is /fũ.si.oˈna.ɾi.u/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7359, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
funcionar is recorded at frequency rank #3,205, classified as averb, pronounced /fũ.sju.ˈnaɾ/. funcionário is at rank #4,154, tagged as anoun, pronounced /fũ.si.oˈna.ɾi.u/.
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 7359, this pair ranks #66,780 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of funcionar vs funcionário
Shared letters: cfinoru. Private to "funcionar": a. Private to "funcionário": á.
"funcionar" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVVCVC · "funcionário" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- funcionar ← ffuncionar · fnucionar · fucnionar · funccionar · funcinoar · funcioanr · funcionarr · funcionnar
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "funcionar" and "funcionário" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "funcionar" or "funcionário" 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 "funcionar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "funcionário" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #66,780 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "funcionar" and "funcionário" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "funcional vs funcionar". 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 #66,780 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.