Which to use
“ajuda” is a noun and “ajudar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #360
- “ajuda” frequency rank
- #383
- “ajudar” frequency rank
- 743
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ajuda | ajudar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ato ou efeito de ajudar | prestar ajuda; auxiliar; facilitar |
Same sound, different letters: ajuda vs ajudar
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 5 letters. ajuda runs 5 letters (VCVCV) against ajudar's 6 (VCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Same sound, different spelling - ajuda / ajudar
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: ajuda and ajudar carry the same recorded pronunciation, /a.ˈʒu.dɐ/. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other averb, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “ajuda” sits inside “ajudar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 743, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ajuda is recorded at frequency rank #360, classified as anoun, pronounced /a.ˈʒu.dɐ/. ajudar is at rank #383, tagged as averb, pronounced /a.ˈʒu.dɐ/.
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 743, this pair ranks #74,911 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ajuda vs ajudar
Shared letters: adju. Private to "ajuda": -. Private to "ajudar": r.
"ajuda" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV · "ajudar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ajuda" and "ajudar" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ajuda" or "ajudar"?
After this comparison
You've separated the homophone pair "ajuda" / "ajudar". Follow the links when you need the full entry or a neighbour that trips the same ear.
- Full dictionary entry for "ajuda" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ajudar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #74,911 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ajuda" and "ajudar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ajudar vs audaz". 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 #74,911 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.