lícitovslúcidoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#40,231
“lícito” frequency rank
#28,267
“lúcido” frequency rank
68498
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lícito lúcido
Definition que está de acordo com a lei que luz; resplandecente; fulgente

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
lícito
6 ch
lúcido

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lícito (/ˈli.si.tu/) and lúcido (/ˈlu.si.du/) 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 68498, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lícito is recorded at frequency rank #40,231, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈli.si.tu/. lúcido is at rank #28,267, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈlu.si.du/.

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 68498, this pair ranks #4,257 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of lícito vs lúcido

Shared letters: cilo. Private to "lícito": . Private to "lúcido": .

"lícito" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "lúcido" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Frequency comparison

lícito#40,231
lúcido#28,267

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lícito" and "lúcido" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈli.si.tu/ versus /ˈlu.si.du/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lícito" or "lúcido"?
"lúcido" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,267 in our Portuguese list, against #40,231 for "lícito". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lícito vs lúcido

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 “lícito” 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