Which to use
“chave” and “Chile” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,329
- “chave” frequency rank
- #2,468
- “Chile” frequency rank
- 3797
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chave | Chile |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | objeto usado para abrir e fechar uma fechadura, algemas ou cadeado | Chile |
Where the eye mixes chave and Chile
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between chave and Chile
A purely visual mix-up. chave (/ˈʃa.vɨ/) and Chile (/ˈ͜t͡ʃiːle, ˈçiːle/ ouvir^(fonte ?)) 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 3797, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
chave is recorded at frequency rank #1,329, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈʃa.vɨ/. Chile is at rank #2,468, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈ͜t͡ʃiːle, ˈçiːle/ ouvir^(fonte ?).
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 3797, this pair ranks #71,296 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of chave vs Chile
Shared letters: ceh. Private to "chave": av. Private to "Chile": il.
"chave" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "Chile" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "chave" and "Chile" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "chave" vs "Chile" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "chave" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Chile" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #71,296 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "chave" and "Chile" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chau vs chave". 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 #71,296 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.