perguntavsperguntarWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: pergunta is a noun, perguntar is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“pergunta” is a noun and “perguntar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#657
“pergunta” frequency rank
#1,901
“perguntar” frequency rank
2558
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pergunta perguntar
Definition frase cujo objetivo é convidar um ouvinte ou leitor a dar uma explicação, uma informação, ou, em qualquer caso, uma interrogação que demanda, chama ou solicita uma resposta fazer uma pergunta a alguém; inquirir, interrogar

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pergunta and perguntar apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
pergunta
9 ch
perguntar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: pergunta is anoun and perguntaraverb. On the page they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “pergunta” sits inside “perguntar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2558, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pergunta is recorded at frequency rank #657, classified as anoun, pronounced /pɨɾ.ˈɡũ.tɐ/. perguntar is at rank #1,901, tagged as averb.

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 2558, this pair ranks #72,795 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of pergunta vs perguntar

Shared letters: aegnprtu. Private to "pergunta": -. Private to "perguntar": -.

"pergunta" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV  ·  "perguntar" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • perguntaeprgunta · pegrunta · perggunta · pergnuta · pergunat · pergunnta · perguntta · pergutna
  • perguntareprguntar · pegruntar · pergguntar · pergnutar · pergunatr · pergunntar · perguntarr · perguntra

Frequency comparison

pergunta#657
perguntar#1,901

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pergunta" and "perguntar" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "pergunta" is a noun and "perguntar" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "pergunta" or "perguntar"?
"pergunta" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #657 in our Portuguese list, against #1,901 for "perguntar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering pergunta vs perguntar

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “pergunta”; for a verb, it's “perguntar”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pergunta” 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