Which to use
“ânimo” is an intj and “átomo” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,571
- “ânimo” frequency rank
- #21,055
- “átomo” frequency rank
- 32626
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ânimo | átomo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | coragem, força | menor partícula em que se pode dividir um elemento, exibindo ainda todas as características típicas do comportamento químico desse elemento |
Where the eye mixes ânimo and átomo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. ânimo and átomo follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses ânimo with átomo
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ânimo is /ˈɐ.ni.mu/ while átomo is /ˈa.tu.mu/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (intj vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32626, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ânimo is recorded at frequency rank #11,571, classified as anintj, pronounced /ˈɐ.ni.mu/. átomo is at rank #21,055, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈa.tu.mu/.
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 32626, this pair ranks #35,127 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ânimo vs átomo
Shared letters: mo. Private to "ânimo": inâ. Private to "átomo": tá.
"ânimo" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV · "átomo" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ânimo" for "átomo" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "ânimo" or "átomo" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ânimo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "átomo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #35,127 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ânimo" and "átomo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "álamo vs átomo". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #35,127 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.