papelãovsparedãoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#19,802
“papelão” frequency rank
#15,647
“paredão” frequency rank
35449
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature papelão paredão
Definition papel grosso (de espessura geralmente igual ou maior a 0,5 milímetros) parede grande

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set papelão and paredão apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
papelão
7 ch
paredão

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. papelão (/pɐ.pɨ.ˈlɐ̃w̃/) and paredão (/pɐ.ɾɨ.ˈdɐ̃w̃/) 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 35449, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

papelão is recorded at frequency rank #19,802, classified as anoun, pronounced /pɐ.pɨ.ˈlɐ̃w̃/. paredão is at rank #15,647, tagged as anoun, pronounced /pɐ.ɾɨ.ˈdɐ̃w̃/.

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 35449, this pair ranks #31,599 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of papelão vs paredão

Shared letters: aeopã. Private to "papelão": l. Private to "paredão": dr.

"papelão" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV  ·  "paredão" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV

Frequency comparison

papelão#19,802
paredão#15,647

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "papelão" and "paredão" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/pɐ.pɨ.ˈlɐ̃w̃/ versus /pɐ.ɾɨ.ˈdɐ̃w̃/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "papelão" or "paredão"?
"paredão" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,647 in our Portuguese list, against #19,802 for "papelão". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering papelão vs paredão

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 “papelão” 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