obravsostraWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#702
“obra” frequency rank
#37,449
“ostra” frequency rank
38151
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature obra ostra
Definition resultado de uma ação ou de um trabalho nome comum a vários moluscos bivalves da família dos ostreídeos, alguns tendo importância econômica por serem comestíveis e de alto valor nutritivo, outras espécies que são cultivadas para a produção de pérolas, que vivem fixados a alguma base

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
obra
5 ch
ostra

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. obra (/ˈɔ.bɾɐ/) and ostra (/ˈos.tɾɐ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38151, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

obra is recorded at frequency rank #702, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈɔ.bɾɐ/. ostra is at rank #37,449, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈos.tɾɐ/.

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 38151, this pair ranks #28,355 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of obra vs ostra

Shared letters: aor. Private to "obra": b. Private to "ostra": st.

"obra" · 4 letters · shape VCCV  ·  "ostra" · 5 letters · shape VCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • obraobar · obbra · obrra · orba
  • ostraosrta · osstra · ostar · ostrra · osttra · otsra · sotra

Frequency comparison

obra#702
ostra#37,449

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "obra" and "ostra" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈɔ.bɾɐ/ versus /ˈos.tɾɐ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "obra" or "ostra"?
"obra" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #702 in our Portuguese list, against #37,449 for "ostra". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering obra vs ostra

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 “obra” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list