Which to use
“tático” and “tico” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,937
- “tático” frequency rank
- #18,468
- “tico” frequency rank
- 36405
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tático | tico |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | relativo à tática; nessa acepção ver também táctico | termo pelo qual são conhecidos os habitantes da Costa Rica |
Where the eye mixes tático and tico
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. tático runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against tico's 4 (CVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between tático and tico
A purely visual mix-up. tático (/ˈta.ti.ku/) and tico (/'ʧi.kʊ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “tico” sits inside “tático”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36405, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tático is recorded at frequency rank #17,937, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈta.ti.ku/. tico is at rank #18,468, tagged as anadj, pronounced /'ʧi.kʊ/.
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 36405, this pair ranks #30,416 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tático vs tico
Shared letters: ciot. Private to "tático": á. Private to "tico": -.
"tático" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "tico" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- tico ← itco · tcio · ticco · tioc · ttico
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tático" for "tico" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "tático" or "tico" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "tático" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tico" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #30,416 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tático" and "tico" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tico vs tufo". 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 #30,416 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.