Which to use
“variável” and “viável” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,981
- “variável” frequency rank
- #10,293
- “viável” frequency rank
- 19274
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | variável | viável |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | inconstante | que pode ser percorrido |
Where the eye mixes variável and viável
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. variável runs 8 letters (CVCVVCVC) against viável's 6 (CVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between variável and viável
A purely visual mix-up. variável (/vɐ.ˈɾja.vɛɫ/) and viável (/ˈvja.vɛɫ/) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19274, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
variável is recorded at frequency rank #8,981, classified as anadj, pronounced /vɐ.ˈɾja.vɛɫ/. viável is at rank #10,293, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈvja.vɛɫ/.
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 19274, this pair ranks #51,497 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of variável vs viável
Shared letters: eilvá. Private to "variável": ar. Private to "viável": -.
"variável" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC · "viável" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "variável" and "viável" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "variável" or "viável"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "variável" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "viável" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #51,497 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "variável" and "viável" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "viável vs visível". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #51,497 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.