Which to use
“receção” and “retenção” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,068
- “receção” frequency rank
- #15,669
- “retenção” frequency rank
- 52737
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | receção | retenção |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | vide recepção | ato de reter, guardar em seu poder algo que é de outra pessoa |
Where the eye mixes receção and retenção
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. receção runs 7 letters (CVCVCVV) against retenção's 8 (CVCVCCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: receção vs retenção
A purely visual mix-up. receção (/ʀəsɛˈsɐ̃w̃/) and retenção (/Rɨ.tẽ.ˈsɐ̃w̃/) 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 52737, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
receção is recorded at frequency rank #37,068, classified as anoun, pronounced /ʀəsɛˈsɐ̃w̃/. retenção is at rank #15,669, tagged as anoun, pronounced /Rɨ.tẽ.ˈsɐ̃w̃/.
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 52737, this pair ranks #12,537 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of receção vs retenção
Shared letters: eorãç. Private to "receção": c. Private to "retenção": nt.
"receção" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV · "retenção" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "receção" for "retenção" ever safe?
Frequency check: "receção" vs "retenção" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "receção" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retenção" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #12,537 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "receção" and "retenção" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "receção vs receoso". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #12,537 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.