Which to use
“atacar” and “atrasar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,818
- “atacar” frequency rank
- #10,137
- “atrasar” frequency rank
- 12955
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | atacar | atrasar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | fazer o ataque a; acometer | induzir a demora ou o adiamento de algo |
Where the eye mixes atacar and atrasar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between atacar and atrasar
A purely visual mix-up. atacar (/ɐ.tɐ.ˈkaɾ/) and atrasar (/a.tɾaˈza(ʁ)/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12955, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
atacar is recorded at frequency rank #2,818, classified as averb, pronounced /ɐ.tɐ.ˈkaɾ/. atrasar is at rank #10,137, tagged as averb, pronounced /a.tɾaˈza(ʁ)/.
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 12955, this pair ranks #59,501 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of atacar vs atrasar
Shared letters: art. Private to "atacar": c. Private to "atrasar": s.
"atacar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC · "atrasar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "atacar" and "atrasar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "atacar" or "atrasar"?
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 "atacar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "atrasar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #59,501 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "atacar" and "atrasar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "atacar vs atar". 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 #59,501 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.