Which to use
“ativar” and “aturar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,312
- “ativar” frequency rank
- #21,370
- “aturar” frequency rank
- 31682
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ativar | aturar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | tornar ativo; fazer com que algo ou alguém funcione ou atue | suportar |
Where the eye mixes ativar and aturar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. ativar and aturar follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses ativar with aturar
A purely visual mix-up. ativar (/a.ti.ˈvaɾ/) and aturar (/ɐ.tu.ˈɾaɾ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31682, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ativar is recorded at frequency rank #10,312, classified as averb, pronounced /a.ti.ˈvaɾ/. aturar is at rank #21,370, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɐ.tu.ˈɾaɾ/.
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 31682, this pair ranks #36,328 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ativar vs aturar
Shared letters: art. Private to "ativar": iv. Private to "aturar": u.
"ativar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC · "aturar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ativar" for "aturar" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ativar" or "aturar"?
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 "ativar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aturar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #36,328 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ativar" and "aturar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "atar vs aturar". 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 #36,328 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.