Which to use
“variar” and “varrer” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,350
- “variar” frequency rank
- #19,589
- “varrer” frequency rank
- 26939
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | variar | varrer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | tornar vário ou diverso | limpar com vassoura |
Where the eye mixes variar and varrer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between variar and varrer
A purely visual mix-up. variar (/vɐ.ˈɾjaɾ/) and varrer (/vɐ.ˈReɾ/) 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 26939, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
variar is recorded at frequency rank #7,350, classified as averb, pronounced /vɐ.ˈɾjaɾ/. varrer is at rank #19,589, tagged as averb, pronounced /vɐ.ˈReɾ/.
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 26939, this pair ranks #42,118 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of variar vs varrer
Shared letters: arv. Private to "variar": i. Private to "varrer": e.
"variar" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "varrer" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "variar" and "varrer" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "variar" vs "varrer" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "variar" and "varrer" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "variar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "varrer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #42,118 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "variar" and "varrer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vargem vs varrer". 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 #42,118 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.