Which to use
“tale” and “task” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,352
- “tale” frequency rank
- #34,487
- “task” frequency rank
- 74839
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tale | task |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | discurso, fala | tarefa |
Where the eye mixes tale and task
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. tale (CVCV) and task (CVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses tale with task
A purely visual mix-up. tale (/taːlə/, [ˈtˢæːlə]) and task (/tɑːsk/ (britânica)) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 74839, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tale is recorded at frequency rank #40,352, classified as anoun, pronounced /taːlə/, [ˈtˢæːlə]. task is at rank #34,487, tagged as anoun, pronounced /tɑːsk/ (britânica).
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 74839, this pair ranks #2,434 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of tale vs task
Shared letters: at. Private to "tale": el. Private to "task": ks.
"tale" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "task" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "tale" and "task" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "tale" or "task"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "tale" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "task" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,434 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tale" and "task" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "talão vs tale". 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 #2,434 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.