Which to use
“perder” is a verb and “poder” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #704
- “perder” frequency rank
- #260
- “poder” frequency rank
- 964
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | perder | poder |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | deixar de possuir um objeto ou bem material | autoridade ou domínio |
Where the eye mixes perder and poder
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between perder and poder
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: perder is /pɨɾ.ˈdeɾ/ while poder is /pu.ˈdeɾ/. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 964, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
perder is recorded at frequency rank #704, classified as averb, pronounced /pɨɾ.ˈdeɾ/. poder is at rank #260, tagged as anoun, pronounced /pu.ˈdeɾ/.
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 964, this pair ranks #74,663 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of perder vs poder
Shared letters: depr. Private to "perder": -. Private to "poder": o.
"perder" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "poder" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "perder" and "poder" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "perder" vs "poder" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "perder" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "poder" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #74,663 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "perder" and "poder" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "perder vs perecer". 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 #74,663 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.