mais

/mäjʃ/

//mäjʃ// adv

The verdict

“mais” is in the everyday core of Portuguese, ranked #23 in Portuguese word frequency and used as an adverb.

#23
frequency rank, Portuguese
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - avançadamente (designa aumento)

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

mais vs mi
50% similar
mais vs mas
75% similar
mais vs mim
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for mais
PropertyValue
Headwordmais
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/mäjʃ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#23
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mais” sits in Portuguese frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). mais lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Portuguese entry for mais is 4 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /mäjʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #23 in overall Portuguese word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for mais, with forms such as "amis", "maiss", and "masi". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "mi", "mas", "mim", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct Portuguese form is mais, spelled M-A-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    avançadamente (designa aumento)
  2. 2
    adicionalmente, de forma extra

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: amis,maiss,masi,mias,mmais

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mais - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

amis2maiss1masi2mias2mmais1
Edit distance from "mais"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 Portuguese corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "mais"?
"mais" is spelled M-A-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /mäjʃ/.
What does "mais" mean?
As an adverb, "mais" means: avançadamente (designa aumento)
What words are commonly confused with "mais"?
"mais" is commonly confused with "mi", "mas", "mim". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mais"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mais" is /mäjʃ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mais" come from?
"mais" is a Portuguese word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “mais”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is M-A-I-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /mäjʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “mi” - see the side-by-side comparison. mais vs mi
  • Browse more Portuguese words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Portuguese words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list