ágata vs ata, What's the Difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ágata and ata apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch

ágata

3 ch

ata

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

Frequency comparison

ágata#43,234

ata#8,716

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ágata" and "ata" be used interchangeably?

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.

Which is more common, "ágata" or "ata"?

"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.

Remembering ágata vs ata

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 “ágata” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable