proposição vs propósito, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“proposição” and “propósito” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#17,619
“proposição” frequency rank: #2,024
“propósito” frequency rank: 19643
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	proposição	propósito
Definition	proposta	intenção

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set proposição and propósito apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch

proposição

9 ch

propósito

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. proposição (/pɾu.pu.zi.ˈsɐ̃w̃/) and propósito (/pɾu.ˈpɔ.zi.tu/) 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 19643, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

proposição is recorded at frequency rank #17,619, classified as anoun, pronounced /pɾu.pu.zi.ˈsɐ̃w̃/. propósito is at rank #2,024, tagged as anoun, pronounced /pɾu.ˈpɔ.zi.tu/.

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 19643, this pair ranks #51,053 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of proposição vs propósito

Shared letters: ioprs. Private to "proposição": ãç. Private to "propósito": tó.

"proposição" · 10 letters · shape CCVCVCVCVV · "propósito" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCVCV

Frequency comparison

proposição#17,619

propósito#2,024

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "proposição" and "propósito" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently (/pɾu.pu.zi.ˈsɐ̃w̃/ versus /pɾu.ˈpɔ.zi.tu/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "proposição" or "propósito"?

"propósito" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,024 in our Portuguese list, against #17,619 for "proposição". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering proposição vs propósito

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “proposição” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable