tavstakWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: ta is a conjunction, tak is a particle, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ta” is a conjunction and “tak” is a particle - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,113
“ta” frequency rank
#42,692
“tak” frequency rank
46805
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ta tak
Definition e: sim

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ta and tak apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

2 ch
ta
3 ch
tak

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: ta is aconjunction and takaparticle. On the page they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “ta” sits inside “tak”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46805, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ta is recorded at frequency rank #4,113, classified as aconj. tak is at rank #42,692, tagged as aparticle.

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 46805, this pair ranks #18,501 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of ta vs tak

Shared letters: at. Private to "ta": -. Private to "tak": k.

"ta" · 2 letters · shape CV  ·  "tak" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

ta#4,113
tak#42,692

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ta" and "tak" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ta" is a conjunction and "tak" a particle, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ta" or "tak"?
"ta" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,113 in our Portuguese list, against #42,692 for "tak". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering ta vs tak

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a conjunction, it's “ta”; for a particle, it's “tak”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ta” 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