Which to use
“tocar” and “tocou” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,662
- “tocar” frequency rank
- #4,025
- “tocou” frequency rank
- 5687
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tocar | tocou |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | encostar uma parte do corpo em | terceira pessoa do singular do pretérito perfeito do indicativo do verbo tocar |
Where the eye mixes tocar and tocou
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: tocar vs tocou
A purely visual mix-up. tocar (/tu.ˈkaɾ/) and tocou (/to.ˈko/) 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 5687, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tocar is recorded at frequency rank #1,662, classified as averb, pronounced /tu.ˈkaɾ/. tocou is at rank #4,025, tagged as averb, pronounced /to.ˈko/.
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 5687, this pair ranks #68,884 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tocar vs tocou
Shared letters: cot. Private to "tocar": ar. Private to "tocou": u.
"tocar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "tocou" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tocar" for "tocou" ever safe?
Frequency check: "tocar" vs "tocou" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "tocar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tocou" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #68,884 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tocar" and "tocou" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tocar 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 #68,884 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.