taparvstoparConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#21,021
“tapar” frequency rank
#39,889
“topar” frequency rank
60910
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tapar topar
Definition abrigar(-se), cobrir(-se), resguardar(-se) encontrar algo

Where the eye mixes tapar and topar

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

5 ch
tapar
5 ch
topar

Why the eye confuses tapar with topar

A purely visual mix-up. tapar (/tɐ.ˈpaɾ/) and topar (/tu.ˈpaɾ/) 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 a single letter - a in “tapar” becomes o in “topar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60910, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tapar is recorded at frequency rank #21,021, classified as averb, pronounced /tɐ.ˈpaɾ/. topar is at rank #39,889, tagged as averb, pronounced /tu.ˈpaɾ/.

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 60910, this pair ranks #7,420 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of tapar vs topar

Shared letters: aprt. Private to "tapar": -. Private to "topar": o.

"tapar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "topar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • taparatpar · taapr · taparr · tappar · tapra · tpaar · ttapar
  • topartoapr · toparr · toppar · topra · tpoar · ttopar

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "tapar" and "topar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently (/tɐ.ˈpaɾ/ versus /tu.ˈpaɾ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tapar" or "topar"?
"tapar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,021 in our Portuguese list, against #39,889 for "topar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "tapar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "topar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #7,420 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "tapar" and "topar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "topar vs tosa". 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 #7,420 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list