Which to use
“ape” is a noun and “ateu” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #28,095
- “ape” frequency rank
- #14,779
- “ateu” frequency rank
- 42874
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ape | ateu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | comida para cavalos | que não crê na existência de nenhum deus |
Where the eye mixes ape and ateu
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ape with ateu
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ape is /ˈɑ.pe/ while ateu is /a.ˈteu̯/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42874, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ape is recorded at frequency rank #28,095, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈɑ.pe/. ateu is at rank #14,779, tagged as anadj, pronounced /a.ˈteu̯/.
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 42874, this pair ranks #22,838 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ape vs ateu
Shared letters: ae. Private to "ape": p. Private to "ateu": tu.
"ape" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "ateu" · 4 letters · shape VCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- ateu ← aetu · atteu · atue · taeu
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ape" for "ateu" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ape" or "ateu"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ape" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ateu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #22,838 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ape" and "ateu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "acs vs ape". 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 #22,838 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.