mato

/ˈma.tʊ/

//ˈma.tʊ// noun

The verdict

“mato” is a regularly-used Portuguese word, ranked #1,821 in Portuguese word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,821
frequency rank, Portuguese
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - área não cultivada e coberta de plantas agrestes

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

mato vs mo
50% similar
mato vs mau
50% similar
mato vs may
50% similar

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

Key facts for mato
PropertyValue
Headwordmato
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈma.tʊ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,821
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “mato” 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). mato 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 mato is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈma.tʊ/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,821 in overall Portuguese word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. 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 mato, with forms such as "amto", "maot", and "matto". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "mo", "mau", "may", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct Portuguese form is mato, spelled M-A-T-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    área não cultivada e coberta de plantas agrestes
  2. 2
    a roça, o campo

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: amto,maot,matto,mmato,mtao

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mato - 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.

amto2maot2matto1mmato1mtao2
Edit distance from "mato"

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 "mato"?
"mato" is spelled M-A-T-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈma.tʊ/.
What does "mato" mean?
As a noun, "mato" means: área não cultivada e coberta de plantas agrestes
What words are commonly confused with "mato"?
"mato" is commonly confused with "mo", "mau", "may". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mato"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mato" is /ˈma.tʊ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mato" come from?
"mato" is a Portuguese word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “mato”

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

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