Which to use
“validar” and “variar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #28,413
- “validar” frequency rank
- #7,350
- “variar” frequency rank
- 35763
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | validar | variar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | tornar(-se) válido, legítimo, legal. | tornar vário ou diverso |
Where the eye mixes validar and variar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses validar with variar
A purely visual mix-up. validar (/vɐ.li.ˈdaɾ/) and variar (/vɐ.ˈɾjaɾ/) 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 35763, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
validar is recorded at frequency rank #28,413, classified as averb, pronounced /vɐ.li.ˈdaɾ/. variar is at rank #7,350, tagged as averb, pronounced /vɐ.ˈɾjaɾ/.
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 35763, this pair ranks #31,232 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of validar vs variar
Shared letters: airv. Private to "validar": dl. Private to "variar": -.
"validar" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "variar" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "validar" and "variar" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "validar" or "variar" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "validar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "variar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #31,232 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "validar" and "variar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vacinar vs validar". 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 #31,232 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.