Which to use
“colega” and “colete” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,669
- “colega” frequency rank
- #13,469
- “colete” frequency rank
- 16138
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | colega | colete |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | pessoa que pertence à mesma coletividade ou categoria | peça de vestuário sem mangas que se veste por cima da camisa |
Where the eye mixes colega and colete
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between colega and colete
A purely visual mix-up. colega (/ku.ˈlɛ.ɡɐ/) and colete (/ku.ˈle.tɨ/) 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 16138, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
colega is recorded at frequency rank #2,669, classified as anoun, pronounced /ku.ˈlɛ.ɡɐ/. colete is at rank #13,469, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ku.ˈle.tɨ/.
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 16138, this pair ranks #55,469 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of colega vs colete
Shared letters: celo. Private to "colega": ag. Private to "colete": t.
"colega" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "colete" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "colega" for "colete" ever safe?
Frequency check: "colega" vs "colete" - 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 "colega" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "colete" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #55,469 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "colega" and "colete" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "colete vs coreto". 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 #55,469 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.