takvsthaWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#42,692
“tak” frequency rank
#38,931
“tha” frequency rank
81623
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tak tha
Definition sim presente do verbo bi (ser, estar); sou/estou, é/está, somos/estamos, são/estão

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch
tak
3 ch
tha

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: tak is aparticle and thaaverb. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 81623, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tak is recorded at frequency rank #42,692, classified as aparticle. tha is at rank #38,931, tagged as averb, pronounced /ha/.

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 81623, this pair ranks #1,139 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of tak vs tha

Shared letters: at. Private to "tak": k. Private to "tha": h.

"tak" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "tha" · 3 letters · shape CCV

Frequency comparison

tak#42,692
tha#38,931

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tak" and "tha" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "tak" is a particle and "tha" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "tak" or "tha"?
"tha" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #38,931 in our Portuguese list, against #42,692 for "tak". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tak vs tha

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a particle, it's “tak”; for a verb, it's “tha”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tak” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list