Which to use
“seguir” and “segurar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #590
- “seguir” frequency rank
- #4,268
- “segurar” frequency rank
- 4858
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | seguir | segurar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ir atrás de | ter algo nas mãos ou entre as mãos |
Where the eye mixes seguir and segurar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. seguir runs 6 letters (CVCVVC) against segurar's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses seguir with segurar
A purely visual mix-up. seguir (/sɨ.ˈɡiɾ/) and segurar (/sɨ.ɡu.ˈɾaɾ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4858, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
seguir is recorded at frequency rank #590, classified as averb, pronounced /sɨ.ˈɡiɾ/. segurar is at rank #4,268, tagged as averb, pronounced /sɨ.ɡu.ˈɾaɾ/.
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 4858, this pair ranks #69,905 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of seguir vs segurar
Shared letters: egrsu. Private to "seguir": i. Private to "segurar": a.
"seguir" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "segurar" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "seguir" and "segurar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "seguir" vs "segurar" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "seguir" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "segurar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #69,905 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "seguir" and "segurar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "seguidor vs seguir". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #69,905 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.