caixa vs cata, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#1,208
“caixa” frequency rank: #31,681
“cata” frequency rank: 32889
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	caixa	cata
Definition	expressa que se consegue o objetivo, a meta	busca

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch

caixa

4 ch

cata

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: caixa is /'ka.ʃɐ/, /'kaj.ʃɐ/ while cata is /ˈka.tɐ/. 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 (intj vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32889, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

caixa is recorded at frequency rank #1,208, classified as anintj, pronounced /'ka.ʃɐ/, /'kaj.ʃɐ/. 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 32889, this pair ranks #34,774 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of caixa vs cata

Shared letters: ac. Private to "caixa": ix. Private to "cata": t.

"caixa" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV · "cata" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

caixa ← acixa · caiax · caixxa · caxia · ccaixa · ciaxa
cata ← acta · caat · catta · ccata · ctaa

Frequency comparison

caixa#1,208

cata#31,681

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

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

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

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

"caixa" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,208 in our Portuguese list, against #31,681 for "cata". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering caixa vs cata

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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