maavsmaçoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“maa” and “maço” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#48,525
“maa” frequency rank
#25,742
“maço” frequency rank
74267
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature maa maço
Definition chão, solo instrumento de madeira encabado para uso de carpinteiros, escultores, etc.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set maa and maço apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
maa
4 ch
maço

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

maa and maço are indexed as a confusable Portuguese pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 74267, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

maa is recorded at frequency rank #48,525, classified as anoun. maço is at rank #25,742, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈma.su/.

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 74267, this pair ranks #2,571 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of maa vs maço

Shared letters: am. Private to "maa": -. Private to "maço": .

"maa" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "maço" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Frequency comparison

maa#48,525
maço#25,742

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "maa" and "maço" be used interchangeably?
No. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Which is more common, "maa" or "maço"?
"maço" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #25,742 in our Portuguese list, against #48,525 for "maa". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering maa vs maço

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “maa” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

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