mão

/mãw/

//mãw// noun

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

The verdict

“mão” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #451) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#451
frequency rank, Portuguese
1,087
“M” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - extremidade do membro anterior dos primatas, capaz de manipular objetos; parte do corpo semelhante ou análoga em outros animais

Corpus desk

Index PT-mao · mão · Portuguese

mão · rank #451 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #451
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,087
  • PHOTO-FINISH papel

Nearest frequency peer: papel (+1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “mão”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “mão” sits against the nearest ranked Portuguese headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

mão vs me
33% similar
mão vs my
33% similar
mão vs mi
33% similar

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

Key facts for mão
PropertyValue
Headwordmão
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/mãw/
Letters3
Frequency rank#451
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mão” 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). mão lands here:

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

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

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for mão is neighbouring look-alikes ("me", "my", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /mãw/. Frequency #451 among 1,087 “M” headwords. 7 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for mão, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "me", "my", "mi", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct Portuguese form is mão, spelled M-Ã-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    extremidade do membro anterior dos primatas, capaz de manipular objetos; parte do corpo semelhante ou análoga em outros animais
  2. 2
    domínio, mando, autoridade
  3. 3
    lado, direção, sentido de trânsito
  4. 4
    demão, camada
  5. 5
    o jogador que joga primeiro
  6. 6
    uma rodada completa
  7. 7
    valor ou composição das cartas recebidas no jogo

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how mão appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Quem é mão é você.

Synonyms

mãozinhamãozita

This word in other languages

hand(English)mano(Español)main(Français)Hand(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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "mão"?
"mão" is spelled M-Ã-O. The IPA pronunciation is /mãw/.
What does "mão" mean?
As a noun, "mão" means: extremidade do membro anterior dos primatas, capaz de manipular objetos; parte do corpo semelhante ou análoga em outros animais
What words are commonly confused with "mão"?
"mão" 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 "mão"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mão" is /mãw/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mão" come from?
"mão" 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.

Similar Portuguese words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "mão", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked Portuguese headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

paz#453mês#444rua#420uns#485

What to do next

You've looked up "mão". Here's where to go from here.

  • "mão" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "me". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #451 among Portuguese headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more Portuguese words in the "M" letter cohort. M–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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