Which to use
“ternura” and “tesoura” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,317
- “ternura” frequency rank
- #14,733
- “tesoura” frequency rank
- 36050
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ternura | tesoura |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | tendência para os sentimentos brandos | instrumento com duas lâminas móveis e cortantes reunidas por um eixo |
Where the eye mixes ternura and tesoura
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. ternura (CVCCVCV) and tesoura (CVCVVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: ternura vs tesoura
A purely visual mix-up. ternura (/tɨɾ.ˈnu.ɾɐ/) and tesoura (/tɨ.ˈzow.ɾɐ/) 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 36050, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ternura is recorded at frequency rank #21,317, classified as anoun, pronounced /tɨɾ.ˈnu.ɾɐ/. tesoura is at rank #14,733, tagged as anoun, pronounced /tɨ.ˈzow.ɾɐ/.
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 36050, this pair ranks #30,847 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ternura vs tesoura
Shared letters: aertu. Private to "ternura": n. Private to "tesoura": os.
"ternura" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "tesoura" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ternura" and "tesoura" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "ternura" vs "tesoura" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ternura" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tesoura" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #30,847 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ternura" and "tesoura" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ternura vs textura". 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 #30,847 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.