cadê vs cata, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“cadê” is a pronoun and “cata” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,377
“cadê” frequency rank: #31,681
“cata” frequency rank: 35058
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	cadê	cata
Definition	expressão interrogativa usada para perguntar onde algo ou alguém está	busca

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cadê and cata apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch

cadê

4 ch

cata

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: cadê is apronoun and cataanoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35058, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cadê is recorded at frequency rank #3,377, classified as apron. cata is at rank #31,681, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈka.tɐ/.

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 35058, this pair ranks #32,063 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of cadê vs cata

Shared letters: ac. Private to "cadê": dê. Private to "cata": t.

"cadê" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "cata" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

cata ← acta · caat · catta · ccata · ctaa

Frequency comparison

cadê#3,377

cata#31,681

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "cadê" and "cata" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "cadê" is a pronoun and "cata" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "cadê" or "cata"?

"cadê" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,377 in our Portuguese list, against #31,681 for "cata". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering cadê vs cata

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a pronoun, it's “cadê”; for a noun, it's “cata”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cadê” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable