Which to use
“maçã” and “mayo” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,309
- “maçã” frequency rank
- #30,251
- “mayo” frequency rank
- 37560
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | maçã | mayo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | o fruto comestível da macieira | maio |
Where the eye mixes maçã and mayo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. maçã (CVCV) and mayo (CVVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between maçã and mayo
A purely visual mix-up. maçã (/mɐ.ˈsɐ̃/) and mayo (/ˈma.ʝo/) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37560, 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/. mayo is at rank #30,251, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈma.ʝo/.
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 37560, this pair ranks #29,033 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of maçã vs mayo
Shared letters: am. Private to "maçã": ãç. Private to "mayo": oy.
"maçã" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "mayo" · 4 letters · shape CVVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- mayo ← amyo · maoy · mayyo · mmayo · myao
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "maçã" and "mayo" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "maçã" vs "mayo" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "maçã" and "mayo" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "maçã" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mayo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #29,033 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "maçã" and "mayo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs mayo". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #29,033 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.