varelavsvaríolaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#17,406
“varela” frequency rank
#28,414
“varíola” frequency rank
45820
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature varela varíola
Definition homem casado que, em relação à mulher, é o meio termo entre varão e varunca doença contagiosa aguda (oficialmente declarada extinta do planeta na década de 1970), de origem viral, caracterizada por febre, dor no corpo, vômitos e lesões cutâneas

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set varela and varíola apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
varela
7 ch
varíola

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

varela and varíola are indexed as a confusable Portuguese pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45820, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

varela is recorded at frequency rank #17,406, classified as anoun. varíola is at rank #28,414, tagged as anoun, pronounced /vɐ.ˈɾi.u.lɐ/.

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 45820, this pair ranks #19,574 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of varela vs varíola

Shared letters: alrv. Private to "varela": e. Private to "varíola": .

"varela" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "varíola" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • varelaavrela · vaerla · vareal · varella · varlea · varrela · vraela · vvarela

Frequency comparison

varela#17,406
varíola#28,414

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "varela" and "varíola" be used interchangeably?
No. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Which is more common, "varela" or "varíola"?
"varela" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,406 in our Portuguese list, against #28,414 for "varíola". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering varela vs varíola

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 “varela” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list