Which to use
“maçã” and “mãos” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,309
- “maçã” frequency rank
- #761
- “mãos” frequency rank
- 8070
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | maçã | mãos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | o fruto comestível da macieira | plural de mão |
Where the eye mixes maçã and mãos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses maçã with mãos
A purely visual mix-up. maçã (/mɐ.ˈsɐ̃/) and mãos (/ˈmɐ̃w̃ʃ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8070, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
maçã is recorded at frequency rank #7,309, classified as anoun, pronounced /mɐ.ˈsɐ̃/. mãos is at rank #761, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɐ̃w̃ʃ/.
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 8070, this pair ranks #65,833 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of maçã vs mãos
Shared letters: mã. Private to "maçã": aç. Private to "mãos": os.
"maçã" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "mãos" · 4 letters · shape CVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "maçã" for "mãos" ever safe?
Which is more common, "maçã" or "mãos"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "maçã" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mãos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #65,833 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "maçã" and "mãos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs maçã". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #65,833 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.