Which to use
“atirar” and “atrair” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,264
- “atirar” frequency rank
- #4,205
- “atrair” frequency rank
- 10469
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | atirar | atrair |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | lançar um projétil contra um alvo ou pessoa | puxar para usando de charme, persuasão, etc |
Where the eye mixes atirar and atrair
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. atirar (VCVCVC) and atrair (VCCVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between atirar and atrair
A purely visual mix-up. atirar (/ɐ.ti.ˈɾaɾ/) and atrair (/ɐ.tɾɐ.ˈiɾ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they are an anagram pair: the same letters reordered. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10469, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
atirar is recorded at frequency rank #6,264, classified as averb, pronounced /ɐ.ti.ˈɾaɾ/. atrair is at rank #4,205, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɐ.tɾɐ.ˈiɾ/.
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 10469, this pair ranks #62,627 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of atirar vs atrair
Shared letters: airt. Private to "atirar": -. Private to "atrair": -.
"atirar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC · "atrair" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "atirar" and "atrair" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "atirar" vs "atrair" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "atirar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "atrair" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #62,627 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "atirar" and "atrair" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "atar vs atirar". 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 #62,627 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.