Which to use
“cat” is a noun and “cite” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,740
- “cat” frequency rank
- #23,938
- “cite” frequency rank
- 31678
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cat | cite |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | gato (Felis catus) | citar, fazer uma citação |
Where the eye mixes cat and cite
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: cat vs cite
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: cat is /kʰaʰt̪/ while cite is /saɪt/. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31678, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cat is recorded at frequency rank #7,740, classified as anoun, pronounced /kʰaʰt̪/. cite is at rank #23,938, tagged as averb, pronounced /saɪt/.
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 31678, this pair ranks #36,337 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cat vs cite
Shared letters: ct. Private to "cat": a. Private to "cite": ei.
"cat" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "cite" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- cite ← ccite · ciet · citte · ctie · icte
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cat" and "cite" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "cat" or "cite"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "cat" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cite" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #36,337 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cat" and "cite" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ciao vs cite". 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 #36,337 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.