ídolovsisolaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,585
“ídolo” frequency rank
#25,021
“isola” frequency rank
32606
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ídolo isola
Definition figura, estátua que representa uma divindade que se adora ilha

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
ídolo
5 ch
isola

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ídolo (/ˈi.du.lu/) and isola (/ˈi.zo.la/.) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32606, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ídolo is recorded at frequency rank #7,585, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈi.du.lu/. isola is at rank #25,021, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈi.zo.la/..

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 32606, this pair ranks #35,155 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ídolo vs isola

Shared letters: lo. Private to "ídolo": . Private to "isola": ais.

"ídolo" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV  ·  "isola" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • isolaiosla · isloa · isoal · isolla · issola · siola

Frequency comparison

ídolo#7,585
isola#25,021

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ídolo" and "isola" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈi.du.lu/ versus /ˈi.zo.la/.) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ídolo" or "isola"?
"ídolo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,585 in our Portuguese list, against #25,021 for "isola". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ídolo vs isola

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 “ídolo” 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