Which to use
“pato” is an adjective and “prata” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,330
- “pato” frequency rank
- #3,036
- “prata” frequency rank
- 9366
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pato | prata |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | empatado | elemento químico de símbolo Ag, possui o número atômico 47 e massa atômica relativa 107,868 u; é um metal de transição, branco metálico, obtido associado em sulfetos, como o de cobre e chumbo em minerais como a argenita; o nitrato de prata é largamente empregado na fotografia, em eletrodeposição química e em pilhas e baterias; o metal é empregado na fabricação de joias, utensílios domésticos e moedas |
Where the eye mixes pato and prata
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses pato with prata
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pato is /ˈpa.tʊ/ while prata is /ˈpɾa.tɐ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9366, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pato is recorded at frequency rank #6,330, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈpa.tʊ/. prata is at rank #3,036, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpɾa.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 9366, this pair ranks #64,093 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pato vs prata
Shared letters: apt. Private to "pato": o. Private to "prata": r.
"pato" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "prata" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pato" for "prata" ever safe?
Frequency check: "pato" vs "prata" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "pato" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "prata" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #64,093 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pato" and "prata" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pato vs Pluto". 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 #64,093 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.