Which to use
“tela” and “teme” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,952
- “tela” frequency rank
- #10,093
- “teme” frequency rank
- 12045
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tela | teme |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | tecido de lã, linho, seda, etc. | anta; tapir, Tapirus terrestris |
Where the eye mixes tela and teme
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: tela vs teme
A purely visual mix-up. tela (/ˈtɛ.lɐ/) and teme (/ˈtɛ.mɛ/) 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 12045, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tela is recorded at frequency rank #1,952, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈtɛ.lɐ/. teme is at rank #10,093, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈtɛ.mɛ/.
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 12045, this pair ranks #60,661 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tela vs teme
Shared letters: et. Private to "tela": al. Private to "teme": m.
"tela" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "teme" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tela" for "teme" ever safe?
Frequency check: "tela" vs "teme" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "tela" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "teme" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #60,661 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tela" and "teme" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "teme vs trema". 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 #60,661 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.