Which to use
“tardar” and “tirar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #31,579
- “tardar” frequency rank
- #661
- “tirar” frequency rank
- 32240
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tardar | tirar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | adiar demorar, procrastinar | pôr para fora; retirar facilmente, em geral com as mãos |
Where the eye mixes tardar and tirar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. tardar runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against tirar's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses tardar with tirar
A purely visual mix-up. tardar (/tɐɾ.ˈdaɾ/) and tirar (/t͡ʃiˈɾa(ʁ)/ [t͡ʃiˈɾa(h)]) 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 32240, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tardar is recorded at frequency rank #31,579, classified as averb, pronounced /tɐɾ.ˈdaɾ/. tirar is at rank #661, tagged as averb, pronounced /t͡ʃiˈɾa(ʁ)/ [t͡ʃiˈɾa(h)].
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 32240, this pair ranks #35,623 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tardar vs tirar
Shared letters: art. Private to "tardar": d. Private to "tirar": i.
"tardar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "tirar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tardar" and "tirar" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "tardar" or "tirar" 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 "tardar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tirar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #35,623 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tardar" and "tirar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tardar vs torrar". 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 #35,623 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.