alavsaxilaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,137
“ala” frequency rank
#39,993
“axila” frequency rank
46130
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ala axila
Definition conjunto de objetos dispostos de maneira a formar uma linha cavidade na parte inferior da junção entre braço e ombro

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch
ala
5 ch
axila

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ala (/ˈa.lɐ/) and axila (/ɐ.ˈksi.lɐ/) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46130, 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/. axila is at rank #39,993, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɐ.ˈksi.lɐ/.

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 46130, this pair ranks #19,221 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of ala vs axila

Shared letters: al. Private to "ala": -. Private to "axila": ix.

"ala" · 3 letters · shape VCV  ·  "axila" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • axilaaixla · axial · axilla · axlia · axxila · xaila

Frequency comparison

ala#6,137
axila#39,993

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ala" and "axila" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈa.lɐ/ versus /ɐ.ˈksi.lɐ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ala" or "axila"?
"ala" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,137 in our Portuguese list, against #39,993 for "axila". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ala vs axila

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list