tolavstoparWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: tola is a adjective, topar is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“tola” is an adjective and “topar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#28,396
“tola” frequency rank
#39,889
“topar” frequency rank
68285
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tola topar
Definition feminino de tolo encontrar algo

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tola and topar apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
tola
5 ch
topar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: tola is /ˈtɔ.lɐ/ while topar is /tu.ˈpaɾ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68285, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tola is recorded at frequency rank #28,396, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈtɔ.lɐ/. topar is at rank #39,889, tagged as averb, pronounced /tu.ˈpaɾ/.

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 68285, this pair ranks #4,323 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of tola vs topar

Shared letters: aot. Private to "tola": l. Private to "topar": pr.

"tola" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "topar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tolaotla · tloa · toal · tolla · ttola
  • topartoapr · toparr · toppar · topra · tpoar · ttopar

Frequency comparison

tola#28,396
topar#39,889

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tola" and "topar" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "tola" is an adjective and "topar" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "tola" or "topar"?
"tola" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,396 in our Portuguese list, against #39,889 for "topar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tola vs topar

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “tola”; for a verb, it's “topar”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “tola” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list