Which to use
“oco” is an adjective and “opção” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #27,951
- “oco” frequency rank
- #1,501
- “opção” frequency rank
- 29452
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | oco | opção |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | que não tem miolo | ato de optar |
Where the eye mixes oco and opção
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. oco runs 3 letters (VCV) against opção's 5 (VCCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses oco with opção
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: oco is /ˈo.ku/ while opção is /ɔ.ˈpsɐ̃w̃/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 29452, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
oco is recorded at frequency rank #27,951, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈo.ku/. opção is at rank #1,501, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɔ.ˈpsɐ̃w̃/.
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 29452, this pair ranks #39,167 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of oco vs opção
Shared letters: o. Private to "oco": c. Private to "opção": pãç.
"oco" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "opção" · 5 letters · shape VCCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "oco" and "opção" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "oco" or "opção" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "oco" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "opção" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #39,167 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "oco" and "opção" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "oco vs oni". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #39,167 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.