mal

/ˈmaw/

//ˈmaw// adv

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“mal” is in the everyday core of Portuguese, ranked #319 in Portuguese word frequency and used as an adverb.

#319
frequency rank, Portuguese
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - de forma pouco satisfatória

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

mal vs me
33% similar
mal vs my
33% similar
mal vs mi
33% similar

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

Key facts for mal
PropertyValue
Headwordmal
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechAdverb
IPA/ˈmaw/
Letters3
Frequency rank#319
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mal” 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). mal 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 mal is 3 letters long, classified as an adverb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈmaw/. Corpus data places it at rank #319 in overall Portuguese word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No generated misspelling entries exist for mal in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "me", "my", "mi", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, 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 mal, spelled M-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    de forma pouco satisfatória
  2. 2
    com dificuldades, a muito custo
  3. 3
    de forma errônea, com equívocos
  4. 4
    de maneira não adequada, imprópria

Synonyms

escassamenteinsatisfatoriamentepoucocustosamenteprecariamenteequivocadamenteerrado

Antonyms

bembem

This word in other languages

badly(English)malamente(Español)mal(Français)schlecht(Deutsch)

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 "mal"?
"mal" is spelled M-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈmaw/.
What does "mal" mean?
As an adverb, "mal" means: de forma pouco satisfatória
What words are commonly confused with "mal"?
"mal" is commonly confused with "me", "my", "mi". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mal" is /ˈmaw/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mal" come from?
"mal" is a Portuguese word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “mal”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is M-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈmaw/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “me” - see the side-by-side comparison. mal vs me
  • 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