Which to use
“el” is an article and “ets” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,143
- “el” frequency rank
- #34,703
- “ets” frequency rank
- 35846
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | el | ets |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | o, artigo definido masculino: | segunda pessoa do singular do presente do indicativo do verbo ésser |
Letter map: el vs ets
Shared letters muted; letters that set el and ets apart highlighted. Shared run: 1.
Role in the sentence - el and ets
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: el is anarticle and etsaverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35846, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
el is recorded at frequency rank #1,143, classified as anarticle. ets is at rank #34,703, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈeʦ/.
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 35846, this pair ranks #31,114 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of el vs ets
Shared letters: e. Private to "el": l. Private to "ets": st.
"el" · 2 letters · shape VC · "ets" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "el" and "ets" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "el" vs "ets" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
You've compared "el" and "ets". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "el" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ets" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #31,114 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "el" and "ets" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "être vs ets". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #31,114 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.