Which to use
“nadar” and “negar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,539
- “nadar” frequency rank
- #4,257
- “negar” frequency rank
- 13796
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nadar | negar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | deslocar-se na água ou sustentar-se sobre ela usando recursos do próprio corpo (pés, mãos, braços, pernas, nadadeiras, cauda etc.) | afirmar que algo não é verdadeiro ou que não existe |
Where the eye mixes nadar and negar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. nadar and negar follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between nadar and negar
A purely visual mix-up. nadar (/nɐ.ˈdaɾ/) and negar (/nɨ.ˈɡaɾ/) 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 13796, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nadar is recorded at frequency rank #9,539, classified as averb, pronounced /nɐ.ˈdaɾ/. negar is at rank #4,257, tagged as averb, pronounced /nɨ.ˈɡaɾ/.
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 13796, this pair ranks #58,439 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nadar vs negar
Shared letters: anr. Private to "nadar": d. Private to "negar": eg.
"nadar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "negar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nadar" for "negar" ever safe?
Frequency check: "nadar" vs "negar" - 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 "nadar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "negar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #58,439 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nadar" and "negar" 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 #58,439 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.