ráciovsrançoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: rácio is a noun, ranço is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“rácio” is a noun and “ranço” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#39,370
“rácio” frequency rank
#36,613
“ranço” frequency rank
75983
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature rácio ranço
Definition relação aquela comida ou gordura que em contato com o ar tornou de sabor acre

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set rácio and ranço apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
rácio
5 ch
ranço

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: rácio is anoun and rançoanadjective. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 75983, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

rácio is recorded at frequency rank #39,370, classified as anoun. ranço is at rank #36,613, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈRɐ̃.su/.

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 75983, this pair ranks #2,184 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of rácio vs ranço

Shared letters: or. Private to "rácio": ciá. Private to "ranço": anç.

"rácio" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV  ·  "ranço" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Frequency comparison

rácio#39,370
ranço#36,613

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "rácio" and "ranço" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "rácio" is a noun and "ranço" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "rácio" or "ranço"?
"ranço" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,613 in our Portuguese list, against #39,370 for "rácio". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering rácio vs ranço

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “rácio”; for an adjective, it's “ranço”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “rácio” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list