Turn this distinction into automatic recall
Falando teaches Brazilian Portuguese through grammar, vocabulary, audio, examples, and spaced review, so confusing pairs stop feeling like guesses.
Quick answer
An acidente foregrounds unintended harm. An incidente names an event or problem without automatically defining its severity.
A reliable test is to identify the job of the word before translating from English.
What each word does
acidente
accident
Use acidente for an unplanned event that causes or risks injury, damage, or loss.
incidente
incident
Use incidente for a distinct event, problem, or episode, often less severe or described neutrally.
How to choose
- acidente: Choose acidente if the sentence points to an unplanned event that causes or risks injury, damage, or loss.
- incidente: Choose incidente if the sentence points to a distinct event, problem, or episode, often less severe or described neutrally.
Examples
O acidente bloqueou a rodovia.
The accident blocked the highway.
A empresa investigou o incidente.
The company investigated the incident.
Common trap
Journalists and organizations may use incidente cautiously before the cause or damage is known. It is not simply a smaller acidente in every context.
Practice it in context
Pick one sentence from your real life and write it twice: once with acidente, then once with incidente. If both versions feel possible, name the meaning shift.
Turn this distinction into automatic recall
Falando teaches Brazilian Portuguese through grammar, vocabulary, audio, examples, and spaced review, so confusing pairs stop feeling like guesses.