rasparvsriscarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#24,133
“raspar” frequency rank
#35,330
“riscar” frequency rank
59463
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature raspar riscar
Definition desbastar uma superfície fazer traços ou riscos em

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set raspar and riscar apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
raspar
6 ch
riscar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. raspar (/Rɐʃ.ˈpaɾ/) and riscar (/Riʃ.ˈkaɾ/) 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 59463, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

raspar is recorded at frequency rank #24,133, classified as averb, pronounced /Rɐʃ.ˈpaɾ/. riscar is at rank #35,330, tagged as averb, pronounced /Riʃ.ˈkaɾ/.

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 59463, this pair ranks #8,170 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of raspar vs riscar

Shared letters: ars. Private to "raspar": p. Private to "riscar": ci.

"raspar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "riscar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • raspararspar · rapsar · rasapr · rasparr · rasppar · raspra · rasspar · rraspar
  • riscarirscar · ricsar · risacr · riscarr · risccar · riscra · risscar · rriscar

Frequency comparison

raspar#24,133
riscar#35,330

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "raspar" and "riscar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/Rɐʃ.ˈpaɾ/ versus /Riʃ.ˈkaɾ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "raspar" or "riscar"?
"raspar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,133 in our Portuguese list, against #35,330 for "riscar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering raspar vs riscar

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 “raspar” 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