raspavsriscaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#36,189
“raspa” frequency rank
#23,492
“risca” frequency rank
59681
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature raspa risca
Definition a parte que é retirada de uma superfície que se raspa; apara, lasca risco; traço; listra

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set raspa and risca apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
raspa
5 ch
risca

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. raspa (/ˈRaʃ.pɐ/) and risca (/ˈRiʃ.kɐ/) 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 59681, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

raspa is recorded at frequency rank #36,189, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈRaʃ.pɐ/. risca is at rank #23,492, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈRiʃ.kɐ/.

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 59681, this pair ranks #8,065 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of raspa vs risca

Shared letters: ars. Private to "raspa": p. Private to "risca": ci.

"raspa" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "risca" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • raspaarspa · rapsa · rasap · rasppa · rasspa · rraspa · rsapa
  • riscairsca · ricsa · risac · riscca · rissca · rrisca · rsica

Frequency comparison

raspa#36,189
risca#23,492

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "raspa" and "risca" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈRaʃ.pɐ/ versus /ˈRiʃ.kɐ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "raspa" or "risca"?
"risca" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,492 in our Portuguese list, against #36,189 for "raspa". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering raspa vs risca

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 “raspa” 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