rolevsrolhaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: role is a verb, rolha is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“role” is a verb and “rolha” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#10,958
“role” frequency rank
#30,711
“rolha” frequency rank
41669
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature role rolha
Definition primeira pessoa do singular do presente do conjuntivo/subjuntivo do verbo rolar peça (normalmente de cortiça) com que se tapam recipientes de boca estreita

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set role and rolha apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
role
5 ch
rolha

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

role and rolha form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41669, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

role is recorded at frequency rank #10,958, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈxɔ.lɪ/. rolha is at rank #30,711, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈRo.ʎɐ/.

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 41669, this pair ranks #24,227 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

role#10,958
rolha#30,711

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "role" and "rolha" be used interchangeably?
No, "role" and "rolha" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering role vs rolha

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “role”; for a noun, it's “rolha”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “role” 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