Which to use
“ma” is a contraction and “mel” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,420
- “ma” frequency rank
- #2,843
- “mel” frequency rank
- 6263
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ma | mel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | contração do pronome pessoal do caso oblíquo me e a | substância doce, espessa e viscosa elaborada pelas abelhas nas colmeias |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ma and mel apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
ma and mel form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6263, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ma is recorded at frequency rank #3,420, classified as acontraction, pronounced /mɐ/. mel is at rank #2,843, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɛɫ/.
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 6263, this pair ranks #68,195 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ma" and "mel" be used interchangeably?
Remembering ma vs mel
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a contraction, it's “ma”; for a noun, it's “mel”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ma” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable