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
Plausivel is reasonable or believable. Verossimil has the appearance of truth.
A reliable test is to identify the job of the word before translating from English.
What each word does
plausivel
plausible
Use plausivel for reasonable, believable, or acceptable as an explanation.
verossimil
lifelike or credible
Use verossimil for having the appearance of truth, especially in narrative, art, or argument.
How to choose
- plausivel: Choose plausivel if the sentence points to reasonable, believable, or acceptable as an explanation.
- verossimil: Choose verossimil if the sentence points to having the appearance of truth, especially in narrative, art, or argument.
Examples
A hipotese parece plausivel.
The hypothesis seems plausible.
O dialogo ficou verossimil.
The dialogue felt believable.
Common trap
In fiction and representation, verossimil often fits better than plausivel.
Practice it in context
Pick one sentence from your real life and write it twice: once with plausivel, then once with verossimil. 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.