arvsatarWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: ar is a noun, atar is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ar” is a noun and “atar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#613
“ar” frequency rank
#48,254
“atar” frequency rank
48867
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ar atar
Definition fluido gasoso que envolve todo o planeta Terra; atmosfera apertar atilho com nó; amarrar; ligar; manietar:

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ar and atar apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

2 ch
ar
4 ch
atar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: ar is anoun and ataraverb. On the page they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “ar” sits inside “atar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48867, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ar is recorded at frequency rank #613, classified as anoun. atar is at rank #48,254, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɐ.ˈtaɾ/.

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 48867, this pair ranks #16,261 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of ar vs atar

Shared letters: ar. Private to "ar": -. Private to "atar": t.

"ar" · 2 letters · shape VC  ·  "atar" · 4 letters · shape VCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ataraatr · atarr · attar

Frequency comparison

ar#613
atar#48,254

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ar" and "atar" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ar" is a noun and "atar" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ar" or "atar"?
"ar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #613 in our Portuguese list, against #48,254 for "atar". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering ar vs atar

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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