indicarvsíndiceWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: indicar is a verb, índice is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“indicar” is a verb and “índice” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,240
“indicar” frequency rank
#2,814
“índice” frequency rank
7054
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature indicar índice
Definition apontar, mostrar, revelar: quadro indicativo dos assuntos tratados num livro

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set indicar and índice apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
indicar
6 ch
índice

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: indicar is /ĩ.di.ˈkaɾ/ while índice is /ˈin.ʤi.si/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 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 7054, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

indicar is recorded at frequency rank #4,240, classified as averb, pronounced /ĩ.di.ˈkaɾ/. índice is at rank #2,814, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈin.ʤi.si/.

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 7054, this pair ranks #67,187 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of indicar vs índice

Shared letters: cdin. Private to "indicar": ar. Private to "índice": .

"indicar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "índice" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • indicaridnicar · indciar · inddicar · indiacr · indicarr · indiccar · indicra · inidcar

Frequency comparison

indicar#4,240
índice#2,814

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "indicar" and "índice" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "indicar" is a verb and "índice" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "indicar" or "índice"?
"índice" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,814 in our Portuguese list, against #4,240 for "indicar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering indicar vs índice

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “indicar”; for a noun, it's “índice”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “indicar” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list