Which to use
“rato” and “retro” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,246
- “rato” frequency rank
- #24,145
- “retro” frequency rank
- 29391
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | rato | retro |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | ratificado; de verdade comprovada | que tem traço aspectual que remonta ou é similar a de coisa que já foi comum, vigente ou generalizado em tempo passado |
Where the eye mixes rato and retro
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. rato runs 4 letters (CVCV) against retro's 5 (CVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between rato and retro
A purely visual mix-up. rato (/ˈRa.tu/) and retro (/ˈχɛ.tɾʊ/) 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 29391, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
rato is recorded at frequency rank #5,246, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈRa.tu/. retro is at rank #24,145, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈχɛ.tɾʊ/.
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 29391, this pair ranks #39,261 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of rato vs retro
Shared letters: ort. Private to "rato": a. Private to "retro": e.
"rato" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "retro" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "rato" for "retro" ever safe?
Frequency check: "rato" vs "retro" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "rato" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retro" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #39,261 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "rato" and "retro" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ratio vs retro". 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 #39,261 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.