Which to use
“perder” and “prender” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #704
- “perder” frequency rank
- #4,096
- “prender” frequency rank
- 4800
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | perder | prender |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | deixar de possuir um objeto ou bem material | colocar na prisão pessoa que infringiu a lei |
Where the eye mixes perder and prender
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: perder vs prender
A purely visual mix-up. perder (/pɨɾ.ˈdeɾ/) and prender (/pɾẽ.ˈdeɾ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4800, 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/. prender is at rank #4,096, tagged as averb, pronounced /pɾẽ.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 4800, this pair ranks #69,980 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of perder vs prender
Shared letters: depr. Private to "perder": -. Private to "prender": n.
"perder" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "prender" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "perder" and "prender" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "perder" or "prender"?
After this comparison
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 "prender" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #69,980 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "perder" and "prender" 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 #69,980 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.