Which to use
“cat” and “clã” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,740
- “cat” frequency rank
- #8,588
- “clã” frequency rank
- 16328
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cat | clã |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | gato (Felis catus) | grupo de famílias que se consideram descendentes dos mesmos ancestrais |
Where the eye mixes cat and clã
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses cat with clã
A purely visual mix-up. cat (/kʰaʰt̪/) and clã (/ˈklɐ̃/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16328, 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/. clã is at rank #8,588, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈklɐ̃/.
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 16328, this pair ranks #55,230 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cat vs clã
Shared letters: c. Private to "cat": at. Private to "clã": lã.
"cat" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "clã" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cat" and "clã" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "cat" vs "clã" - which ranks higher?
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 "clã" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #55,230 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cat" and "clã" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chau vs clã". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #55,230 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.