anvsataWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: an is a adverb, ata is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“an” is an adverb and “ata” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,817
“an” frequency rank
#8,716
“ata” frequency rank
11533
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature an ata
Definition ligado, aceso: registro escrito do que se passou em uma reunião

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set an and ata apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

2 ch
an
3 ch
ata

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

an and ata form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11533, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

an is recorded at frequency rank #2,817, classified as anadv, pronounced /an/. ata is at rank #8,716, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈa.tɐ/.

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 11533, this pair ranks #61,293 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

an#2,817
ata#8,716

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "an" and "ata" be used interchangeably?
No, "an" and "ata" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering an vs ata

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “an”; for a noun, it's “ata”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “an” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list