índicevsíndoleTell them apart

Which to use

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

#2,814
“índice” frequency rank
#25,179
“índole” frequency rank
27993
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature índice índole
Definition quadro indicativo dos assuntos tratados num livro tendência natural

Where the eye mixes índice and índole

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
índice
6 ch
índole

Look-alike desk: índice vs índole

A purely visual mix-up. índice (/ˈin.ʤi.si/) and índole (/ˈĩ.du.lɨ/) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27993, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

índice is recorded at frequency rank #2,814, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈin.ʤi.si/. índole is at rank #25,179, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈĩ.du.lɨ/.

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 27993, this pair ranks #40,892 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of índice vs índole

Shared letters: dení. Private to "índice": ci. Private to "índole": lo.

"índice" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV  ·  "índole" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "índice" for "índole" ever safe?
No. They are said differently (/ˈin.ʤi.si/ versus /ˈĩ.du.lɨ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "índice" vs "índole" - which ranks higher?
"índice" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,814 in our Portuguese list, against #25,179 for "índole". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "índice" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "índole" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #40,892 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "índice" and "índole" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "idle vs índole". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #40,892 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list