Which to use
“ache” and “ange” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,947
- “ache” frequency rank
- #32,455
- “ange” frequency rank
- 42402
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ache | ange |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | dor, axe | anjo |
Where the eye mixes ache and ange
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ache with ange
A purely visual mix-up. ache (/eɪk/) and ange (/ɑ̃ʒ/) 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 42402, 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/. ange is at rank #32,455, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɑ̃ʒ/.
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 42402, this pair ranks #23,377 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ache vs ange
Shared letters: ae. Private to "ache": ch. Private to "ange": gn.
"ache" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "ange" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ache" and "ange" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "ache" vs "ange" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ache" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ange" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #23,377 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ache" and "ange" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "alce vs ange". 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 #23,377 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.