Which to use
“recepção” and “retenção” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,019
- “recepção” frequency rank
- #15,669
- “retenção” frequency rank
- 19688
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | recepção | retenção |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | receber (o ato, efeito de) | ato de reter, guardar em seu poder algo que é de outra pessoa |
Letter map: recepção vs retenção
Shared letters muted; letters that set recepção and retenção apart highlighted. Shared run: 6. recepção and retenção follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Corpus notes: recepção and retenção
recepção and retenção are indexed as a confusable Portuguese pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19688, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
recepção is recorded at frequency rank #4,019, classified as anoun. 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 19688, this pair ranks #51,002 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of recepção vs retenção
Shared letters: eorãç. Private to "recepção": cp. Private to "retenção": nt.
"recepção" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVV · "retenção" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "recepção" and "retenção" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "recepção" or "retenção"?
Useful next steps
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "recepção" and "retenção".
- Full dictionary entry for "recepção" 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 #51,002 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "recepção" and "retenção" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "receção vs retenção". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #51,002 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.