Which to use
“chato” is an adjective and “chave” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,619
- “chato” frequency rank
- #1,329
- “chave” frequency rank
- 5948
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chato | chave |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | achatado | objeto usado para abrir e fechar uma fechadura, algemas ou cadeado |
Where the eye mixes chato and chave
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: chato vs chave
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: chato is /ˈʃa.tu/ while chave is /ˈʃa.vɨ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5948, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
chato is recorded at frequency rank #4,619, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈʃa.tu/. chave is at rank #1,329, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈʃa.vɨ/.
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 5948, this pair ranks #68,598 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of chato vs chave
Shared letters: ach. Private to "chato": ot. Private to "chave": ev.
"chato" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "chave" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "chato" and "chave" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "chato" or "chave"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "chato" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "chave" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #68,598 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "chato" and "chave" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chato vs chau". 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 #68,598 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.