Which to use
“sobrar” is a verb and “sobre” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,849
- “sobrar” frequency rank
- #53
- “sobre” frequency rank
- 19902
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sobrar | sobre |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | subsistir como resto, sobra ou remanescente; existir ou estar ainda disponível; conservar-se, ficar, restar, permanecer | emprega-se para designar que o vento sopra por ante-avante do pano |
Where the eye mixes sobrar and sobre
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses sobrar with sobre
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sobrar is /su.ˈbɾaɾ/ while sobre is /ˈso.bɾɨ/. 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 (verb vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19902, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sobrar is recorded at frequency rank #19,849, classified as averb, pronounced /su.ˈbɾaɾ/. sobre is at rank #53, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ˈso.bɾɨ/.
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 19902, this pair ranks #50,725 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sobrar vs sobre
Shared letters: bors. Private to "sobrar": a. Private to "sobre": e.
"sobrar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "sobre" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sobrar" and "sobre" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "sobrar" or "sobre" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "sobrar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sobre" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #50,725 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sobrar" and "sobre" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sobrar vs sondar". 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 #50,725 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.