Which to use
“maçã” and “mar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,309
- “maçã” frequency rank
- #828
- “mar” frequency rank
- 8137
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | maçã | mar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | o fruto comestível da macieira | grande quantidade de água salgada que cobre parte do planeta Terra, podendo estar localizada junto ou dentro de continentes |
Where the eye mixes maçã and mar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between maçã and mar
A purely visual mix-up. maçã (/mɐ.ˈsɐ̃/) and mar (/ˈmaɾ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8137, 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/. mar is at rank #828, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmaɾ/.
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 8137, this pair ranks #65,753 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of maçã vs mar
Shared letters: am. Private to "maçã": ãç. Private to "mar": r.
"maçã" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "mar" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "maçã" and "mar" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "maçã" vs "mar" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
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 "mar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #65,753 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "maçã" and "mar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs maçã". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #65,753 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.