pedaçovsperdãoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,013
“pedaço” frequency rank
#3,278
“perdão” frequency rank
7291
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pedaço perdão
Definition uma parte de qualquer coisa que se dividiu fim de uma exigência

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pedaço and perdão apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
pedaço
6 ch
perdão

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. pedaço (/pɨ.ˈda.su/) and perdão (/pɨɾ.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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7291, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pedaço is recorded at frequency rank #4,013, classified as anoun, pronounced /pɨ.ˈda.su/. perdão is at rank #3,278, tagged as anoun, pronounced /pɨɾ.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 7291, this pair ranks #66,873 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of pedaço vs perdão

Shared letters: deop. Private to "pedaço": . Private to "perdão": .

"pedaço" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "perdão" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV

Frequency comparison

pedaço#4,013
perdão#3,278

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pedaço" and "perdão" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/pɨ.ˈda.su/ versus /pɨɾ.ˈdɐ̃w̃/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "pedaço" or "perdão"?
"perdão" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,278 in our Portuguese list, against #4,013 for "pedaço". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering pedaço vs perdão

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 “pedaço” 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