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
Despensa stores supplies. Dispensa releases someone from a duty or role.
A reliable test is to identify the job of the word before translating from English.
What each word does
despensa
pantry or storeroom
Use despensa for a room or cabinet where food and household supplies are kept.
dispensa
dismissal, exemption, or act of dispensing
Use dispensa for release from a duty, dismissal from work, or permission not to meet a requirement.
How to choose
- despensa: Choose despensa if the sentence points to a room or cabinet where food and household supplies are kept.
- dispensa: Choose dispensa if the sentence points to release from a duty, dismissal from work, or permission not to meet a requirement.
Examples
Guardamos o arroz na despensa.
We keep the rice in the pantry.
Ela pediu dispensa da reunião.
She asked to be excused from the meeting.
Common trap
The related verbs make the spelling clearer: despensa is a place; dispensa comes from dispensar.
Practice it in context
Pick one sentence from your real life and write it twice: once with despensa, then once with dispensa. 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.