variadavsvariarConfusable pair

Quick tell: variada is a adjective, variar is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“variada” is an adjective and “variar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#18,739
“variada” frequency rank
#7,350
“variar” frequency rank
26089
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature variada variar
Definition feminino de variado tornar vário ou diverso

Where the eye mixes variada and variar

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
variada
6 ch
variar

Look-alike desk: variada vs variar

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: variada is /vɐ.ɾɪ.ˈa.dɐ/, /vɐ.ˈɾja.dɐ/ while variar is /vɐ.ˈɾjaɾ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26089, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

variada is recorded at frequency rank #18,739, classified as anadj, pronounced /vɐ.ɾɪ.ˈa.dɐ/, /vɐ.ˈɾja.dɐ/. 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 26089, this pair ranks #43,126 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of variada vs variar

Shared letters: airv. Private to "variada": d. Private to "variar": -.

"variada" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCV  ·  "variar" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • variadaavriada · vairada · varaida · variaad · variadda · varidaa · varriada · vraiada
  • variaravriar · vairar · varair · variarr · varira · varriar · vraiar · vvariar

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "variada" and "variar" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "variada" is an adjective and "variar" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "variada" or "variar" show up more?
"variar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,350 in our Portuguese list, against #18,739 for "variada". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "variada" 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 #43,126 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "variada" and "variar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vacinar vs variar". 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 #43,126 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list