Which to use
“macho” is an adjective and “molho” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,113
- “macho” frequency rank
- #5,444
- “molho” frequency rank
- 10557
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | macho | molho |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | pertencente ao gênero masculino | feixe pequeno |
Where the eye mixes macho and molho
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between macho and molho
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: macho is /ˈma.ʃu/ while molho is /ˈmɔ.ʎu/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10557, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
macho is recorded at frequency rank #5,113, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈma.ʃu/. molho is at rank #5,444, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɔ.ʎu/.
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 10557, this pair ranks #62,509 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of macho vs molho
Shared letters: hmo. Private to "macho": ac. Private to "molho": l.
"macho" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "molho" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "macho" and "molho" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "macho" vs "molho" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "macho" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "molho" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #62,509 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "macho" and "molho" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "malho vs molho". 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 #62,509 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.