Which to use
“tau” is a noun and “that” is a conjunction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #32,397
- “tau” frequency rank
- #3,648
- “that” frequency rank
- 36045
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tau | that |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nome da décima nona letra do alfabeto grego (Τ/τ) | que |
Where the eye mixes tau and that
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses tau with that
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tau is /taw/ while that is /ðæt/. 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 (noun vs conjunction), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36045, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tau is recorded at frequency rank #32,397, classified as anoun, pronounced /taw/. that is at rank #3,648, tagged as aconj, pronounced /ðæt/.
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 36045, this pair ranks #30,854 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tau vs that
Shared letters: at. Private to "tau": u. Private to "that": h.
"tau" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "that" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- that ← htat · taht · thatt · thhat · thta · tthat
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tau" for "that" ever safe?
Frequency check: "tau" vs "that" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "tau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "that" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #30,854 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tau" and "that" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tau vs til". 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 #30,854 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.