Which to use
“tela” and “tira” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,952
- “tela” frequency rank
- #1,953
- “tira” frequency rank
- 3905
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tela | tira |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | tecido de lã, linho, seda, etc. | retalho ou pedaço de pano, papel ou outro material, mais comprido que largo |
Where the eye mixes tela and tira
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses tela with tira
A purely visual mix-up. tela (/ˈtɛ.lɐ/) and tira (/ˈt͡ʃi.ɾɐ/) 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 3905, 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/. tira is at rank #1,953, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈt͡ʃi.ɾɐ/.
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 3905, this pair ranks #71,171 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of tela vs tira
Shared letters: at. Private to "tela": el. Private to "tira": ir.
"tela" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "tira" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tela" and "tira" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "tela" or "tira" show up more?
What to do next
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 "tira" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #71,171 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tela" and "tira" 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 #71,171 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.