hidráulicavshidráulicoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: hidráulica is a noun, hidráulico is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“hidráulica” is a noun and “hidráulico” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#15,130
“hidráulica” frequency rank
#28,231
“hidráulico” frequency rank
43361
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hidráulica hidráulico
Definition ciência ou arte que se ocupa da direção e emprego das águas relativo ao movimento de líquidos, em especial a água

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set hidráulica and hidráulico apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
hidráulica
10 ch
hidráulico

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: hidráulica is /i.ˈdɾaw.li.kɐ/ while hidráulico is /i.ˈdɾaw.li.ku/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - a in “hidráulica” becomes o in “hidráulico”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43361, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hidráulica is recorded at frequency rank #15,130, classified as anoun, pronounced /i.ˈdɾaw.li.kɐ/. hidráulico is at rank #28,231, tagged as anadj, pronounced /i.ˈdɾaw.li.ku/.

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 43361, this pair ranks #22,283 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of hidráulica vs hidráulico

Shared letters: cdhilruá. Private to "hidráulica": a. Private to "hidráulico": o.

"hidráulica" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCV  ·  "hidráulico" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVVCVCV

Frequency comparison

hidráulica#15,130
hidráulico#28,231

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hidráulica" and "hidráulico" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "hidráulica" is a noun and "hidráulico" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "hidráulica" or "hidráulico"?
"hidráulica" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,130 in our Portuguese list, against #28,231 for "hidráulico". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hidráulica vs hidráulico

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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