Which to use
“chega” is an adverb and “chegado” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #626
- “chega” frequency rank
- #4,379
- “chegado” frequency rank
- 5005
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chega | chegado |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | utilizado como expletivo, transmite a ideia de “até mesmo” | próximo |
Where the eye mixes chega and chegado
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. chega runs 5 letters (CCVCV) against chegado's 7 (CCVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses chega with chegado
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: chega is /ˈʃe.ɡɐ/ while chegado is /ʃɨ.ˈɡa.du/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “chega” sits inside “chegado”, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5005, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
chega is recorded at frequency rank #626, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˈʃe.ɡɐ/. chegado is at rank #4,379, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ʃɨ.ˈɡa.du/.
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 5005, this pair ranks #69,722 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of chega vs chegado
Shared letters: acegh. Private to "chega": -. Private to "chegado": do.
"chega" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "chegado" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "chega" and "chegado" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "chega" or "chegado" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "chega" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "chegado" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #69,722 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "chega" and "chegado" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chega vs chess". 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 #69,722 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.