Which to use
“ache” and “alce” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,947
- “ache” frequency rank
- #48,754
- “alce” frequency rank
- 58701
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ache | alce |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | dor, axe | mamífero artiodáctilo da família dos cervídeos (Alces alces), que ocorre nas regiões frias ao norte do hemisfério norte; de pelagem escura, ponta do focinho larga e arqueada e grande galhada espalmada, com numerosas pontas, presente somente nos machos [É o maior dos cervídeos, alcançando até 3 m de comprimento.] |
Where the eye mixes ache and alce
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. ache and alce follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: ache vs alce
A purely visual mix-up. ache (/eɪk/) and alce (/ˈaɫ.sɨ/) 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 58701, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ache is recorded at frequency rank #9,947, classified as anoun, pronounced /eɪk/. alce is at rank #48,754, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈaɫ.sɨ/.
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 58701, this pair ranks #8,591 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ache vs alce
Shared letters: ace. Private to "ache": h. Private to "alce": l.
"ache" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "alce" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ache" for "alce" ever safe?
Frequency check: "ache" vs "alce" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ache" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "alce" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #8,591 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ache" and "alce" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "acs vs alce". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #8,591 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.