escalavsescalãoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,320
“escala” frequency rank
#10,000
“escalão” frequency rank
12320
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature escala escalão
Definition ato de escalar; escada; escalada nível hierárquico

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
escala
7 ch
escalão

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. escala (/iʃ.ˈka.lɐ/) and escalão (/iʃ.kɐ.ˈlɐ̃w̃/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12320, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

escala is recorded at frequency rank #2,320, classified as anoun, pronounced /iʃ.ˈka.lɐ/. escalão is at rank #10,000, tagged as anoun, pronounced /iʃ.kɐ.ˈlɐ̃w̃/.

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 12320, this pair ranks #60,323 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of escala vs escalão

Shared letters: acels. Private to "escala": -. Private to "escalão": .

"escala" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV  ·  "escalão" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • escalaecsala · esacla · escaal · escalla · esccala · esclaa · esscala · secala

Frequency comparison

escala#2,320
escalão#10,000

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "escala" and "escalão" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/iʃ.ˈka.lɐ/ versus /iʃ.kɐ.ˈlɐ̃w̃/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "escala" or "escalão"?
"escala" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,320 in our Portuguese list, against #10,000 for "escalão". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering escala vs escalão

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 “escala” 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