reflexãovsreflexoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: reflexão is a noun, reflexo is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“reflexão” is a noun and “reflexo” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,106
“reflexão” frequency rank
#6,806
“reflexo” frequency rank
10912
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature reflexão reflexo
Definition ato de perceber, reconsiderar, reformular, imaginar ou repensar uma ideia ou ponto de vista refletido

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set reflexão and reflexo apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
reflexão
7 ch
reflexo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: reflexão is /Rɨ.flɛ.ˈsɐ̃w̃/ while reflexo is /ʁe.ˈflɛk.sʊ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10912, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

reflexão is recorded at frequency rank #4,106, classified as anoun, pronounced /Rɨ.flɛ.ˈsɐ̃w̃/. reflexo is at rank #6,806, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ʁe.ˈflɛk.sʊ/.

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 10912, this pair ranks #62,054 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of reflexão vs reflexo

Shared letters: eflorx. Private to "reflexão": ã. Private to "reflexo": -.

"reflexão" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVV  ·  "reflexo" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • reflexoerflexo · refelxo · refflexo · refleox · reflexxo · refllexo · reflxeo · relfexo

Frequency comparison

reflexão#4,106
reflexo#6,806

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "reflexão" and "reflexo" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "reflexão" is a noun and "reflexo" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "reflexão" or "reflexo"?
"reflexão" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,106 in our Portuguese list, against #6,806 for "reflexo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering reflexão vs reflexo

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “reflexão”; for an adjective, it's “reflexo”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “reflexão” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list