Which to use
“refeição” and “retenção” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,468
- “refeição” frequency rank
- #15,669
- “retenção” frequency rank
- 22137
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | refeição | retenção |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | porção de alimento consumido a certas horas do dia | ato de reter, guardar em seu poder algo que é de outra pessoa |
Where the eye mixes refeição and retenção
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. refeição (CVCVVCVV) and retenção (CVCVCCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses refeição with retenção
A purely visual mix-up. refeição (/χe.fej.ˈsãw/) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22137, 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/. 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 22137, this pair ranks #47,971 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of refeição vs retenção
Shared letters: eorãç. Private to "refeição": fi. Private to "retenção": nt.
"refeição" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVV · "retenção" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "refeição" and "retenção" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "refeição" vs "retenção" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "refeição" 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 #47,971 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "refeição" and "retenção" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "refeição vs refração". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #47,971 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.