Which to use
“nação” is a noun and “nadar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,246
- “nação” frequency rank
- #9,539
- “nadar” frequency rank
- 11785
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nação | nadar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | grupo de pessoas, com um mesmo governo e localizado num determinado espaço geográfico | deslocar-se na água ou sustentar-se sobre ela usando recursos do próprio corpo (pés, mãos, braços, pernas, nadadeiras, cauda etc.) |
Where the eye mixes nação and nadar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. nação (CVCVV) and nadar (CVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: nação vs nadar
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nação is /nɐ.ˈsɐ̃w̃/ while nadar is /nɐ.ˈdaɾ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11785, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nação is recorded at frequency rank #2,246, classified as anoun, pronounced /nɐ.ˈsɐ̃w̃/. nadar is at rank #9,539, tagged as averb, pronounced /nɐ.ˈdaɾ/.
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 11785, this pair ranks #60,991 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nação vs nadar
Shared letters: an. Private to "nação": oãç. Private to "nadar": dr.
"nação" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV · "nadar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- nadar ← naadr · nadarr · naddar · nadra · ndaar · nnadar
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "nação" and "nadar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "nação" vs "nadar" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "nação" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "nadar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #60,991 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nação" and "nadar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "nadar vs nadie". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #60,991 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.