Which to use
“átomo” and “atum” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,055
- “átomo” frequency rank
- #16,684
- “atum” frequency rank
- 37739
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | átomo | atum |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | menor partícula em que se pode dividir um elemento, exibindo ainda todas as características típicas do comportamento químico desse elemento | peixe da família dos Escombrídeos muito usado na alimentação quer em fresco, quer em conserva |
Where the eye mixes átomo and atum
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. átomo runs 5 letters (VCVCV) against atum's 4 (VCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses átomo with atum
A purely visual mix-up. átomo (/ˈa.tu.mu/) and atum (/ɐ.ˈtũ/) 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 37739, 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/. atum is at rank #16,684, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɐ.ˈtũ/.
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 37739, this pair ranks #28,828 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of átomo vs atum
Shared letters: mt. Private to "átomo": oá. Private to "atum": au.
"átomo" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV · "atum" · 4 letters · shape VCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- atum ← atmu · attum · atumm · autm · taum
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "átomo" for "atum" ever safe?
Which is more common, "átomo" or "atum"?
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 "atum" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #28,828 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "átomo" and "atum" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "atar vs atum". 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 #28,828 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.