Which to use
“chega” is an adverb and “cheio” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #626
- “chega” frequency rank
- #1,424
- “cheio” frequency rank
- 2050
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | chega | cheio |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | utilizado como expletivo, transmite a ideia de “até mesmo” | completamente preenchido; que contém o máximo que pode conter |
Where the eye mixes chega and cheio
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between chega and cheio
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: chega is /ˈʃe.ɡɐ/ while cheio is /ˈʃɐj.u/. 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 (adverb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2050, 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/. cheio is at rank #1,424, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈʃɐj.u/.
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 2050, this pair ranks #73,438 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of chega vs cheio
Shared letters: ceh. Private to "chega": ag. Private to "cheio": io.
"chega" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "cheio" · 5 letters · shape CCVVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "chega" and "cheio" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "chega" vs "cheio" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
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 "cheio" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #73,438 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "chega" and "cheio" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cheio 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 #73,438 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.