Which to use
“espátula” and “estátua” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #45,838
- “espátula” frequency rank
- #5,944
- “estátua” frequency rank
- 51782
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | espátula | estátua |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | espécie de faca de madeira, marfim ou metal que serve para abrir livros, espalmar substâncias ou estender substâncias moles | obra de arte desenvolvida no espaço (três dimensões) que representa um ser, normalmente uma mulher ou um homem |
Where the eye mixes espátula and estátua
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. espátula runs 8 letters (VCCVCVCV) against estátua's 7 (VCCVCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses espátula with estátua
A purely visual mix-up. espátula (/iʃ.ˈpa.tu.lɐ/) and estátua (/iʃ.ˈta.twɐ/) 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 51782, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
espátula is recorded at frequency rank #45,838, classified as anoun, pronounced /iʃ.ˈpa.tu.lɐ/. estátua is at rank #5,944, tagged as anoun, pronounced /iʃ.ˈta.twɐ/.
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 51782, this pair ranks #13,313 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of espátula vs estátua
Shared letters: aestuá. Private to "espátula": lp. Private to "estátua": -.
"espátula" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV · "estátua" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "espátula" for "estátua" ever safe?
Frequency check: "espátula" vs "estátua" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "espátula" and "estátua" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "espátula" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "estátua" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #13,313 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "espátula" and "estátua" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "espátula vs estatura". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #13,313 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.