Which to use
“went” is a verb and “what” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #39,927
- “went” frequency rank
- #4,525
- “what” frequency rank
- 44452
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | went | what |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | passado simples do verbo go: | em alguma maneira ou grau; em parte; geralmente seguido de with |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set went and what apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: went is /ˈwεnt/ while what is /wɔt/. 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 adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44452, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
went is recorded at frequency rank #39,927, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈwεnt/. what is at rank #4,525, tagged as anadv, pronounced /wɔt/.
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 44452, this pair ranks #21,034 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of went vs what
Shared letters: tw. Private to "went": en. Private to "what": ah.
"went" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "what" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "went" and "what" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "went" or "what"?
Remembering went vs what
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “went”; for an adverb, it's “what”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “went” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable