tavstaleWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#4,113
“ta” frequency rank
#40,352
“tale” frequency rank
44465
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ta tale
Definition e: discurso, fala

Where the spellings diverge

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

2 ch
ta
4 ch
tale

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: ta is aconjunction and taleanoun. On the page they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “ta” sits inside “tale”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44465, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ta is recorded at frequency rank #4,113, classified as aconj. tale is at rank #40,352, tagged as anoun, pronounced /taːlə/, [ˈtˢæːlə].

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 44465, this pair ranks #21,010 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ta vs tale

Shared letters: at. Private to "ta": -. Private to "tale": el.

"ta" · 2 letters · shape CV  ·  "tale" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • taleatle · tael · talle · tlae · ttale

Frequency comparison

ta#4,113
tale#40,352

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ta" and "tale" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ta" is a conjunction and "tale" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ta" or "tale"?
"ta" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,113 in our Portuguese list, against #40,352 for "tale". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ta vs tale

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a conjunction, it's “ta”; for a noun, it's “tale”.
  • 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