alasvsallaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: alas is a noun, alla is a contraction, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“alas” is a noun and “alla” is a contraction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#17,688
“alas” frequency rank
#36,313
“alla” frequency rank
54001
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature alas alla
Definition forma plural de ala: na

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
alas
4 ch
alla

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: alas is anoun and allaacontraction. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54001, 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/. alla is at rank #36,313, tagged as acontraction.

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 54001, this pair ranks #11,631 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of alas vs alla

Shared letters: al. Private to "alas": s. Private to "alla": -.

"alas" · 4 letters · shape VCVC  ·  "alla" · 4 letters · shape VCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • alasaals · alass · allas · alsa · laas
  • allaalal · lala

Frequency comparison

alas#17,688
alla#36,313

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "alas" and "alla" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "alas" is a noun and "alla" a contraction, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "alas" or "alla"?
"alas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,688 in our Portuguese list, against #36,313 for "alla". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering alas vs alla

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “alas”; for a contraction, it's “alla”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “alas” 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