Which to use
“malos” is an adjective and “mazo” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,121
- “malos” frequency rank
- #15,157
- “mazo” frequency rank
- 17278
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | malos | mazo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del masculino plural de malo o mal. | Martillo de gran tamaño y cabeza roma. |
Where the eye mixes malos and mazo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses malos with mazo
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: malos is [ˈmalos] while mazo is [ˈmaso]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17278, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
malos is recorded at frequency rank #2,121, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈmalos]. mazo is at rank #15,157, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmaso].
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 17278, this pair ranks #272,823 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of malos vs mazo
Shared letters: amo. Private to "malos": ls. Private to "mazo": z.
"malos" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "mazo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "malos" for "mazo" ever safe?
Frequency check: "malos" vs "mazo" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "malos" and "mazo" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "malos" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mazo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #272,823 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "malos" and "mazo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "math vs mazo". 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 #272,823 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.