ágatavsataWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“ágata” and “ata” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#43,234
“ágata” frequency rank
#8,716
“ata” frequency rank
51950
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ágata ata
Definition variedade microcristalina de quartzo, cujo tipo mais comum é a calcedónia/calcedônia registro escrito do que se passou em uma reunião

Where the eye mixes ágata and ata

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. ágata runs 5 letters (VCVCV) against ata's 3 (VCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
ágata
3 ch
ata

Look-alike desk: ágata vs ata

A purely visual mix-up. ágata ([ˈa.ga.ta], Plural: [ˈa.ga.tas]) and ata (/ˈa.tɐ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “ata” sits inside “ágata”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51950, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ágata is recorded at frequency rank #43,234, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈa.ga.ta], Plural: [ˈa.ga.tas]. ata is at rank #8,716, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈa.tɐ/.

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 51950, this pair ranks #13,162 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of ágata vs ata

Shared letters: at. Private to "ágata": gá. Private to "ata": -.

"ágata" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV  ·  "ata" · 3 letters · shape VCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "ágata" and "ata" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈa.ga.ta], Plural: [ˈa.ga.tas] versus /ˈa.tɐ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "ágata" or "ata" show up more?
"ata" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,716 in our Portuguese list, against #43,234 for "ágata". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "ágata" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "ata" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #13,162 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "ágata" and "ata" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ágata vs agiota". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #13,162 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list