Which to use
“tão” is an adverb and “task” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #119
- “tão” frequency rank
- #34,487
- “task” frequency rank
- 34606
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tão | task |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | tanto, com tal intensidade | tarefa |
Where the eye mixes tão and task
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between tão and task
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tão is /ˈtɐ̃w̃/ while task is /tɑːsk/ (britânica). Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34606, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tão is recorded at frequency rank #119, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˈtɐ̃w̃/. 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 34606, this pair ranks #32,612 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tão vs task
Shared letters: t. Private to "tão": oã. Private to "task": aks.
"tão" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "task" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- task ← atsk · taks · taskk · tassk · tsak · ttask
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tão" and "task" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "tão" or "task" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "tão" 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 #32,612 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tão" and "task" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "task vs tosa". 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 #32,612 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.