Which to use
“abelha” and “agulha” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,298
- “abelha” frequency rank
- #10,119
- “agulha” frequency rank
- 20417
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abelha | agulha |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | designação genérica e vulgar de diversos insetos himenópteros da super-família Apoidea | haste fina de metal, aguçada numa ponta e com um orifício onde se enfia a linha, para a costura |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abelha and agulha apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. abelha (/ɐ.ˈbɐj.ʎɐ/) and agulha (/ɐ.ˈɡu.ʎɐ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20417, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abelha is recorded at frequency rank #10,298, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɐ.ˈbɐj.ʎɐ/. agulha is at rank #10,119, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɐ.ˈɡu.ʎɐ/.
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 20417, this pair ranks #50,118 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abelha vs agulha
Shared letters: ahl. Private to "abelha": be. Private to "agulha": gu.
"abelha" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV · "agulha" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abelha" and "agulha" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "abelha" or "agulha"?
Remembering abelha vs agulha
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “abelha” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable