batervsboteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: bater is a verb, bote is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“bater” is a verb and “bote” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,807
“bater” frequency rank
#13,675
“bote” frequency rank
15482
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bater bote
Definition dar pancada, com objeto, com a mão ou com o pé, em; golpear embarcação de pequenas dimensões, fabricada de madeira, alumínio, borracha ou fibra de vidro, movida a remo ou a vela

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bater and bote apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
bater
4 ch
bote

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bater is /bɐ.ˈteɾ/ while bote is /ˈbɔti/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15482, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bater is recorded at frequency rank #1,807, classified as averb, pronounced /bɐ.ˈteɾ/. bote is at rank #13,675, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈbɔti/.

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 15482, this pair ranks #56,322 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of bater vs bote

Shared letters: bet. Private to "bater": ar. Private to "bote": o.

"bater" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "bote" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • baterabter · baetr · baterr · batre · batter · bbater · btaer
  • botebbote · boet · botte · btoe · obte

Frequency comparison

bater#1,807
bote#13,675

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bater" and "bote" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "bater" is a verb and "bote" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "bater" or "bote"?
"bater" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,807 in our Portuguese list, against #13,675 for "bote". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering bater vs bote

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “bater”; for a noun, it's “bote”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “bater” 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