Which to use
“polícia” and “política” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #357
- “polícia” frequency rank
- #397
- “política” frequency rank
- 754
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | polícia | política |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | corporação cujo objetivo é manter a ordem pública e garantir o cumprimento da lei | ciência do governo de instituições relativas ao Estado |
Where the eye mixes polícia and política
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. polícia runs 7 letters (CVCVCVV) against política's 8 (CVCVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses polícia with política
A purely visual mix-up. polícia (/pu.ˈli.sjɐ/) 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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 754, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
polícia is recorded at frequency rank #357, classified as anoun, pronounced /pu.ˈli.sjɐ/. 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 754, this pair ranks #74,904 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of polícia vs política
Shared letters: acilopí. Private to "polícia": -. Private to "política": t.
"polícia" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV · "política" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "polícia" and "política" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "polícia" or "política" show up more?
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 "polícia" 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 #74,904 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "polícia" and "política" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "polaca vs polícia". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #74,904 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.