Which to use
“alas” and “ale” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,688
- “alas” frequency rank
- #17,419
- “ale” frequency rank
- 35107
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | alas | ale |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | forma plural de ala: | reflexo da lua na água |
Where the eye mixes alas and ale
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between alas and ale
A purely visual mix-up. alas (/ˈa.lɐs/) and ale (/a.ˈle/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35107, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
alas is recorded at frequency rank #17,688, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈa.lɐs/. ale is at rank #17,419, tagged as anoun, pronounced /a.ˈle/.
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 35107, this pair ranks #31,994 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of alas vs ale
Shared letters: al. Private to "alas": s. Private to "ale": e.
"alas" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "ale" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- alas ← aals · alass · allas · alsa · laas
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "alas" and "ale" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "alas" vs "ale" - which ranks higher?
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 "alas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ale" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #31,994 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "alas" and "ale" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "acs vs alas". 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 #31,994 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.