ligadovslimãoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: ligado is a adjective, limão is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ligado” is an adjective and “limão” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,239
“ligado” frequency rank
#6,316
“limão” frequency rank
8555
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ligado limão
Definition que está conectado a outra parte; unido fruto do limoeiro, de forma ovoide, cítrico de cor verde-amarela e de sabor ácido

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ligado and limão apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
ligado
5 ch
limão

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ligado is /li.ˈɡa.du/ while limão is /li.ˈmɐ̃w̃/. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8555, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ligado is recorded at frequency rank #2,239, classified as anadj, pronounced /li.ˈɡa.du/. limão is at rank #6,316, tagged as anoun, pronounced /li.ˈmɐ̃w̃/.

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 8555, this pair ranks #65,175 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ligado vs limão

Shared letters: ilo. Private to "ligado": adg. Private to "limão": .

"ligado" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "limão" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ligadoilgado · lgiado · liagdo · ligaddo · ligaod · ligdao · liggado · lligado

Frequency comparison

ligado#2,239
limão#6,316

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ligado" and "limão" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ligado" is an adjective and "limão" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ligado" or "limão"?
"ligado" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,239 in our Portuguese list, against #6,316 for "limão". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ligado vs limão

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “ligado”; for a noun, it's “limão”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ligado” 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