instávelvsinviávelWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,871
“instável” frequency rank
#20,341
“inviável” frequency rank
30212
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature instável inviável
Definition não estável por onde não se pode passar; intransponível

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set instável and inviável apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
instável
8 ch
inviável

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. instável (/ĩʃ.ˈta.vɛɫ/) and inviável (/ĩ.ˈvja.vɛɫ/) 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 30212, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

instável is recorded at frequency rank #9,871, classified as anadj, pronounced /ĩʃ.ˈta.vɛɫ/. inviável is at rank #20,341, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ĩ.ˈvja.vɛɫ/.

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 30212, this pair ranks #38,218 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of instável vs inviável

Shared letters: eilnvá. Private to "instável": st. Private to "inviável": -.

"instável" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC  ·  "inviável" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCVC

Frequency comparison

instável#9,871
inviável#20,341

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "instável" and "inviável" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ĩʃ.ˈta.vɛɫ/ versus /ĩ.ˈvja.vɛɫ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "instável" or "inviável"?
"instável" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,871 in our Portuguese list, against #20,341 for "inviável". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering instável vs inviável

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 “instável” 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