Which to use
“maço” and “mask” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,742
- “maço” frequency rank
- #36,537
- “mask” frequency rank
- 62279
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | maço | mask |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | instrumento de madeira encabado para uso de carpinteiros, escultores, etc. | máscara |
Where the eye mixes maço and mask
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. maço (CVCV) and mask (CVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between maço and mask
A purely visual mix-up. maço (/ˈma.su/) and mask (/mæsk/) 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 62279, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
maço is recorded at frequency rank #25,742, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈma.su/. mask is at rank #36,537, tagged as anoun, pronounced /mæsk/.
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 62279, this pair ranks #6,748 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of maço vs mask
Shared letters: am. Private to "maço": oç. Private to "mask": ks.
"maço" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "mask" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- mask ← amsk · maks · maskk · massk · mmask · msak
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "maço" and "mask" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "maço" or "mask" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "maço" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mask" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #6,748 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "maço" and "mask" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs mask". 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 #6,748 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.