Which to use
“opção” is a noun and “optar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,501
- “opção” frequency rank
- #11,922
- “optar” frequency rank
- 13423
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | opção | optar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ato de optar | fazer escolha |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set opção and optar apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: opção is /ɔ.ˈpsɐ̃w̃/ while optar is /ɔˈp.taɾ/. 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 13423, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
opção is recorded at frequency rank #1,501, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɔ.ˈpsɐ̃w̃/. optar is at rank #11,922, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɔˈp.taɾ/.
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 13423, this pair ranks #58,924 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of opção vs optar
Shared letters: op. Private to "opção": ãç. Private to "optar": art.
"opção" · 5 letters · shape VCCVV · "optar" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- optar ← opatr · opptar · optarr · optra · opttar · otpar · potar
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "opção" and "optar" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "opção" or "optar"?
Remembering opção vs optar
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “opção”; for a verb, it's “optar”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “opção” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable