adavsataWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: ada is a verb, ata is a pronoun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ada” is a verb and “ata” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#26,733
“ada” frequency rank
#46,479
“ata” frequency rank
73212
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ada ata
Definition existieren; vorhanden sein sie

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ada and ata apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
ada
3 ch
ata

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: ada is averb and ataapronoun. On the page they differ by a single letter - d in “ada” becomes t in “ata”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 73212, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ada is recorded at frequency rank #26,733, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈada]. ata is at rank #46,479, tagged as apron, pronounced […].

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 73212, this pair ranks #366,626 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of ada vs ata

Shared letters: a. Private to "ada": d. Private to "ata": t.

"ada" · 3 letters · shape VCV  ·  "ata" · 3 letters · shape VCV

Frequency comparison

ada#26,733
ata#46,479

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ada" and "ata" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ada" is a verb and "ata" a pronoun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ada" or "ata"?
"ada" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,733 in our German list, against #46,479 for "ata". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ada vs ata

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “ada”; for a pronoun, it's “ata”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ada” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list