Which to use
“segurar” and “separar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,268
- “segurar” frequency rank
- #5,043
- “separar” frequency rank
- 9311
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | segurar | separar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ter algo nas mãos ou entre as mãos | desunir o que estava ligado; estabelecer uma distância (ou aumentá-la) entre duas coisas ou grupos de coisas |
Where the eye mixes segurar and separar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between segurar and separar
A purely visual mix-up. segurar (/sɨ.ɡu.ˈɾaɾ/) and separar (/sɨ.pɐ.ˈɾaɾ/) 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 9311, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
segurar is recorded at frequency rank #4,268, classified as averb, pronounced /sɨ.ɡu.ˈɾaɾ/. separar is at rank #5,043, tagged as averb, pronounced /sɨ.pɐ.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 9311, this pair ranks #64,158 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of segurar vs separar
Shared letters: aers. Private to "segurar": gu. Private to "separar": p.
"segurar" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "separar" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "segurar" for "separar" ever safe?
Frequency check: "segurar" vs "separar" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "segurar" and "separar" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "segurar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "separar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #64,158 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "segurar" and "separar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sarar vs separar". 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 #64,158 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.