símbolo vs symbol, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“símbolo” and “symbol” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#2,603
“símbolo” frequency rank: #46,080
“symbol” frequency rank: 48683
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	símbolo	symbol
Definition	elemento representativo visível que, por analogia, substitui um objeto, conceito, ideia ou qualidade	símbolo:

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set símbolo and symbol apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch

símbolo

6 ch

symbol

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. símbolo (/ˈsĩ.bu.lu/) and symbol (/'sɪm.bəɫ/) 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 48683, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

símbolo is recorded at frequency rank #2,603, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈsĩ.bu.lu/. symbol is at rank #46,080, tagged as anoun, pronounced /'sɪm.bəɫ/.

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 48683, this pair ranks #16,480 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of símbolo vs symbol

Shared letters: blmos. Private to "símbolo": í. Private to "symbol": y.

"símbolo" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "symbol" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

symbol ← smybol · ssymbol · sybmol · symbbol · symblo · symboll · symmbol · symobl

Frequency comparison

símbolo#2,603

symbol#46,080

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "símbolo" and "symbol" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently (/ˈsĩ.bu.lu/ versus /'sɪm.bəɫ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "símbolo" or "symbol"?

"símbolo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,603 in our Portuguese list, against #46,080 for "symbol". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering símbolo vs symbol

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “símbolo” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable