refeiçãovsrefraçãoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,468
“refeição” frequency rank
#47,575
“refração” frequency rank
54043
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature refeição refração
Definition porção de alimento consumido a certas horas do dia mudança na direção de propagação de uma onda devido a uma mudança no meio pelo qual ela transita

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set refeição and refração apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
refeição
8 ch
refração

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. refeição (/χe.fej.ˈsãw/) and refração (/Rɨ.fɾa.ˈsɐ̃w̃/) 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 54043, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

refeição is recorded at frequency rank #6,468, classified as anoun, pronounced /χe.fej.ˈsãw/. refração is at rank #47,575, tagged as anoun, pronounced /Rɨ.fɾa.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 54043, this pair ranks #11,593 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of refeição vs refração

Shared letters: eforãç. Private to "refeição": i. Private to "refração": a.

"refeição" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVV  ·  "refração" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVV

Frequency comparison

refeição#6,468
refração#47,575

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "refeição" and "refração" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/χe.fej.ˈsãw/ versus /Rɨ.fɾa.ˈsɐ̃w̃/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "refeição" or "refração"?
"refeição" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,468 in our Portuguese list, against #47,575 for "refração". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering refeição vs refração

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 “refeição” 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