Which to use
“tau” and “til” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,397
- “tau” frequency rank
- #44,136
- “til” frequency rank
- 76533
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tau | til |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nome da décima nona letra do alfabeto grego (Τ/τ) | sinal diacrítico (~) utilizado para modificar a pronúncia de determinadas letras no português (indicando nasalização) e em alguns outros idiomas ( bretão ...) |
Where the eye mixes tau and til
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. tau (CVV) and til (CVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses tau with til
A purely visual mix-up. tau (/taw/) and til (/ˈʧiw/) 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 76533, 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/. til is at rank #44,136, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈʧiw/.
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 76533, this pair ranks #2,074 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of tau vs til
Shared letters: t. Private to "tau": au. Private to "til": il.
"tau" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "til" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tau" for "til" ever safe?
Which is more common, "tau" or "til"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "tau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "til" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,074 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tau" and "til" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tifo vs til". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #2,074 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.