tocamvstoparWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#12,154
“tocam” frequency rank
#39,889
“topar” frequency rank
52043
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tocam topar
Definition terceira pessoa do plural do presente do indicativo do verbo tocar encontrar algo

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tocam and topar apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
tocam
5 ch
topar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tocam (/ˈtɔ.kɐ̃w̃/ [ˈtɔ.kɐ̃ʊ̯̃]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52043, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tocam is recorded at frequency rank #12,154, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈtɔ.kɐ̃w̃/ [ˈtɔ.kɐ̃ʊ̯̃]. 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 52043, this pair ranks #13,089 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of tocam vs topar

Shared letters: aot. Private to "tocam": cm. Private to "topar": pr.

"tocam" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "topar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tocamotcam · tcoam · toacm · tocamm · toccam · tocma · ttocam
  • topartoapr · toparr · toppar · topra · tpoar · ttopar

Frequency comparison

tocam#12,154
topar#39,889

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tocam" and "topar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈtɔ.kɐ̃w̃/ [ˈtɔ.kɐ̃ʊ̯̃] versus /tu.ˈpaɾ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tocam" or "topar"?
"tocam" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,154 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.

Remembering tocam vs topar

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tocam” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list