Which to use
“polémica” and “política” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,948
- “polémica” frequency rank
- #397
- “política” frequency rank
- 19345
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | polémica | política |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | discussão nos meios de comunicação | ciência do governo de instituições relativas ao Estado |
Where the eye mixes polémica and política
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. polémica and política follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses polémica with política
A purely visual mix-up. polémica (/pu.ˈlɛ.mi.kɐ/) and política (/po.ˈli.ʧi.kɐ/ ouvir ^(fonte ?)) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19345, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
polémica is recorded at frequency rank #18,948, classified as anoun, pronounced /pu.ˈlɛ.mi.kɐ/. política is at rank #397, tagged as anoun, pronounced /po.ˈli.ʧi.kɐ/ ouvir ^(fonte ?).
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 19345, this pair ranks #51,400 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of polémica vs política
Shared letters: acilop. Private to "polémica": mé. Private to "política": tí.
"polémica" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV · "política" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "polémica" for "política" ever safe?
Which is more common, "polémica" or "política"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "polémica" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "política" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #51,400 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "polémica" and "política" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "polémica vs polémico". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #51,400 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.