bactériavsbateriaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,996
“bactéria” frequency rank
#1,959
“bateria” frequency rank
17955
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bactéria bateria
Definition organismos unicelulares pertencentes ao reino monera podendo ser encontrados na forma isolada ou em colônias; são constituídos somente por uma célula sem um verdadeiro núcleo celular nem organelos membranosos ato de bater

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bactéria and bateria apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
bactéria
7 ch
bateria

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. bactéria (/bɐˈk.tɛ.ɾjɐ/) and bateria (/bɐ.tɨ.ˈɾi.ɐ/) 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 17955, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bactéria is recorded at frequency rank #15,996, classified as anoun, pronounced /bɐˈk.tɛ.ɾjɐ/. bateria is at rank #1,959, tagged as anoun, pronounced /bɐ.tɨ.ˈɾi.ɐ/.

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 17955, this pair ranks #53,154 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of bactéria vs bateria

Shared letters: abirt. Private to "bactéria": . Private to "bateria": e.

"bactéria" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVV  ·  "bateria" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bateriaabteria · baetria · bateira · baterai · baterria · batreia · batteria · bbateria

Frequency comparison

bactéria#15,996
bateria#1,959

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bactéria" and "bateria" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/bɐˈk.tɛ.ɾjɐ/ versus /bɐ.tɨ.ˈɾi.ɐ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bactéria" or "bateria"?
"bateria" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,959 in our Portuguese list, against #15,996 for "bactéria". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering bactéria vs bateria

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “bactéria” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list