Which to use
“oitenta” is a num and “ostentar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,224
- “oitenta” frequency rank
- #27,598
- “ostentar” frequency rank
- 36822
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | oitenta | ostentar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | número equivalente a oito dezenas; cardinalidade de um conjunto que contenha oito dezenas de elementos distintos; representado pelo símbolo 80 (algarismos arábicos) ou LXXX (algarismos romanos) | mostrar ou exibir com aparato |
Where the eye mixes oitenta and ostentar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. oitenta runs 7 letters (VVCVCCV) against ostentar's 8 (VCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses oitenta with ostentar
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: oitenta is /oj.ˈtẽ.tɐ/ while ostentar is /ɔʃ.tẽ.ˈtaɾ/. 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 (num vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36822, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
oitenta is recorded at frequency rank #9,224, classified as anum, pronounced /oj.ˈtẽ.tɐ/. ostentar is at rank #27,598, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɔʃ.tẽ.ˈtaɾ/.
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 36822, this pair ranks #29,905 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of oitenta vs ostentar
Shared letters: aenot. Private to "oitenta": i. Private to "ostentar": rs.
"oitenta" · 7 letters · shape VVCVCCV · "ostentar" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "oitenta" for "ostentar" ever safe?
Frequency check: "oitenta" vs "ostentar" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "oitenta" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ostentar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #29,905 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "oitenta" and "ostentar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "orientar vs ostentar". 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 #29,905 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.