Which to use
“tela” and “terra” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,952
- “tela” frequency rank
- #331
- “terra” frequency rank
- 2283
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tela | terra |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | tecido de lã, linho, seda, etc. | solo composto formado por partículas minerais e substratos orgânicos |
Where the eye mixes tela and terra
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: tela vs terra
A purely visual mix-up. tela (/ˈtɛ.lɐ/) and terra (/ˈtɛ.Rɐ/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2283, 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/. terra is at rank #331, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈtɛ.Rɐ/.
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 2283, this pair ranks #73,144 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tela vs terra
Shared letters: aet. Private to "tela": l. Private to "terra": r.
"tela" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "terra" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tela" for "terra" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "tela" or "terra" 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 "tela" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "terra" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #73,144 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tela" and "terra" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tela 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 #73,144 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.