Which to use
“ago” is an adverb and “ato” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,434
- “ago” frequency rank
- #1,326
- “ato” frequency rank
- 10760
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ago | ato |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | há, atrás – adj | processo de fazer algo; manifestação real e tangível |
Where the eye mixes ago and ato
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: ago vs ato
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ago is /əˈɡəʊ/ while ato is /ˈato/ ou /ˈatu/_(plural:) /ˈatos/, /ˈatus/ ou /ˈatuʃ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - g in “ago” becomes t in “ato”, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10760, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ago is recorded at frequency rank #9,434, classified as anadv, pronounced /əˈɡəʊ/. ato is at rank #1,326, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈato/ ou /ˈatu/_(plural:) /ˈatos/, /ˈatus/ ou /ˈatuʃ/.
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 10760, this pair ranks #62,260 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ago vs ato
Shared letters: ao. Private to "ago": g. Private to "ato": t.
"ago" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "ato" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ago" and "ato" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "ago" or "ato"?
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 "ago" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ato" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #62,260 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ago" and "ato" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "acs vs ago". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #62,260 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.