Which to use
“pateta” and “pauta” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,497
- “pateta” frequency rank
- #5,330
- “pauta” frequency rank
- 31827
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pateta | pauta |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | pessoa boba | papel com traços paralelos para auxiliar a escrita direita |
Where the eye mixes pateta and pauta
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. pateta runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against pauta's 5 (CVVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses pateta with pauta
A purely visual mix-up. pateta (/pa.ˈtɛ.tɐ/) and pauta (/ˈpaw.tɐ/) 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 31827, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pateta is recorded at frequency rank #26,497, classified as anoun, pronounced /pa.ˈtɛ.tɐ/. pauta is at rank #5,330, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpaw.tɐ/.
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 31827, this pair ranks #36,139 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pateta vs pauta
Shared letters: apt. Private to "pateta": e. Private to "pauta": u.
"pateta" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "pauta" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pateta" for "pauta" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "pateta" or "pauta" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "pateta" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pauta" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #36,139 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pateta" and "pauta" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "paletó vs pateta". 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 #36,139 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.