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 eye mixes instável and inviável
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. instável (VCCCVCVC) and inviável (VCCVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: instável vs inviável
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "instável" for "inviável" ever safe?
Frequency check: "instável" vs "inviável" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "instável" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "inviável" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #38,218 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "instável" and "inviável" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "inegável vs inviável". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #38,218 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.