Which to use
“pescar” and “pisar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,884
- “pescar” frequency rank
- #11,125
- “pisar” frequency rank
- 27009
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pescar | pisar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | apanhar na água (o peixe ou outro animal aquático) | colocar os pés sobre |
Where the eye mixes pescar and pisar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. pescar runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against pisar's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses pescar with pisar
A purely visual mix-up. pescar (/pesˈka(ʁ)/ [pesˈka(h)]) and pisar (/pi.ˈzaɾ/) 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 27009, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pescar is recorded at frequency rank #15,884, classified as averb, pronounced /pesˈka(ʁ)/ [pesˈka(h)]. pisar is at rank #11,125, tagged as averb, pronounced /pi.ˈzaɾ/.
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 27009, this pair ranks #42,037 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pescar vs pisar
Shared letters: aprs. Private to "pescar": ce. Private to "pisar": i.
"pescar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "pisar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pescar" and "pisar" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "pescar" or "pisar"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "pescar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pisar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #42,037 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pescar" and "pisar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pastar vs pescar". 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 #42,037 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.