Which to use
“tha” is a verb and “tio” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,931
- “tha” frequency rank
- #2,211
- “tio” frequency rank
- 41142
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tha | tio |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | presente do verbo bi (ser, estar); sou/estou, é/está, somos/estamos, são/estão | irmão da mãe ou do pai |
Where the eye mixes tha and tio
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. tha (CCV) and tio (CVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses tha with tio
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tha is /ha/ while tio is /ti.u/ [t͡ʃiu̯], [tiu̯]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41142, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tha is recorded at frequency rank #38,931, classified as averb, pronounced /ha/. tio is at rank #2,211, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ti.u/ [t͡ʃiu̯], [tiu̯].
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 41142, this pair ranks #24,847 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tha vs tio
Shared letters: t. Private to "tha": ah. Private to "tio": io.
"tha" · 3 letters · shape CCV · "tio" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tha" and "tio" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "tha" or "tio"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "tha" and "tio" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "tha" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tio" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #24,847 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tha" and "tio" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tha vs tosa". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #24,847 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.