Which to use
“tha” is a verb and “tre” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,931
- “tha” frequency rank
- #14,981
- “tre” frequency rank
- 53912
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tha | tre |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | presente do verbo bi (ser, estar); sou/estou, é/está, somos/estamos, são/estão | três |
Where the eye mixes tha and tre
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses tha with tre
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tha is /ha/ while tre is /tre/. 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 num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53912, 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/. tre is at rank #14,981, tagged as anum, pronounced /tre/.
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 53912, this pair ranks #11,690 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of tha vs tre
Shared letters: t. Private to "tha": ah. Private to "tre": er.
"tha" · 3 letters · shape CCV · "tre" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tha" and "tre" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "tha" or "tre" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "tha" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tre" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #11,690 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tha" and "tre" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tha vs tosa". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #11,690 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.