escadavsescalaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“escada” and “escala” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#5,626
“escada” frequency rank
#2,320
“escala” frequency rank
7946
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature escada escala
Definition equipamento formado por degraus que é usado para subir e descer de lugares altos ato de escalar; escada; escalada

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set escada and escala apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
escada
6 ch
escala

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

escada and escala form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - d in “escada” becomes l in “escala” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7946, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

escada is recorded at frequency rank #5,626, classified as anoun, pronounced /isˈka.dɐ/, /esˈka.dɐ/. escala is at rank #2,320, tagged as anoun, pronounced /iʃ.ˈka.lɐ/.

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 7946, this pair ranks #66,013 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

escada#5,626
escala#2,320

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "escada" and "escala" be used interchangeably?
No, "escada" and "escala" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering escada vs escala

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “escada” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list