Which to use
“ala” is a noun and “auf” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,137
- “ala” frequency rank
- #42,318
- “auf” frequency rank
- 48455
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ala | auf |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | conjunto de objetos dispostos de maneira a formar uma linha | aberto |
Where the eye mixes ala and auf
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ala with auf
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ala is /ˈa.lɐ/ while auf is /aʊ̯f/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48455, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ala is recorded at frequency rank #6,137, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈa.lɐ/. auf is at rank #42,318, tagged as anadv, pronounced /aʊ̯f/.
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 48455, this pair ranks #16,701 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ala vs auf
Shared letters: a. Private to "ala": l. Private to "auf": fu.
"ala" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "auf" · 3 letters · shape VVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ala" and "auf" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "ala" or "auf" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "ala" and "auf" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ala" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "auf" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #16,701 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ala" and "auf" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "acs vs auf". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #16,701 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.