Which to use
“sobrar” and “sofrer” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19,849
- “sobrar” frequency rank
- #2,652
- “sofrer” frequency rank
- 22501
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sobrar | sofrer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | subsistir como resto, sobra ou remanescente; existir ou estar ainda disponível; conservar-se, ficar, restar, permanecer | passar por determinado estado ou ação |
Where the eye mixes sobrar and sofrer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses sobrar with sofrer
A purely visual mix-up. sobrar (/su.ˈbɾaɾ/) and sofrer (/su.ˈfɾeɾ/) 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 22501, 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/. sofrer is at rank #2,652, tagged as averb, pronounced /su.ˈfɾeɾ/.
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 22501, this pair ranks #47,547 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sobrar vs sofrer
Shared letters: ors. Private to "sobrar": ab. Private to "sofrer": ef.
"sobrar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "sofrer" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sobrar" and "sofrer" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "sobrar" vs "sofrer" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "sobrar" and "sofrer" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "sobrar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sofrer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #47,547 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sobrar" and "sofrer" 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 #47,547 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.