átomovsátrioWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“átomo” and “átrio” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#21,055
“átomo” frequency rank
#26,601
“átrio” frequency rank
47656
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature átomo átrio
Definition menor partícula em que se pode dividir um elemento, exibindo ainda todas as características típicas do comportamento químico desse elemento vestíbulo que vai da entrada principal à escadaria

Where the eye mixes átomo and átrio

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. átomo (VCVCV) and átrio (VCCVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

5 ch
átomo
5 ch
átrio

Why the eye confuses átomo with átrio

A purely visual mix-up. átomo (/ˈa.tu.mu/) and átrio (/ˈa.tɾju/) 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 47656, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

átomo is recorded at frequency rank #21,055, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈa.tu.mu/. átrio is at rank #26,601, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈa.tɾju/.

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 47656, this pair ranks #17,571 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of átomo vs átrio

Shared letters: otá. Private to "átomo": m. Private to "átrio": ir.

"átomo" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV  ·  "átrio" · 5 letters · shape VCCVV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "átomo" for "átrio" ever safe?
No. They are said differently (/ˈa.tu.mu/ versus /ˈa.tɾju/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "átomo" or "átrio" show up more?
"átomo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,055 in our Portuguese list, against #26,601 for "átrio". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "átomo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "átrio" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #17,571 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "átomo" and "átrio" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "átrio vs atroz". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #17,571 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list