Which to use
“maço” and “match” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #25,742
- “maço” frequency rank
- #14,647
- “match” frequency rank
- 40389
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | maço | match |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | instrumento de madeira encabado para uso de carpinteiros, escultores, etc. | palito de fósforo |
Where the eye mixes maço and match
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses maço with match
A purely visual mix-up. maço (/ˈma.su/) and match (/ˈmætʃ/) 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 40389, 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/. match is at rank #14,647, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmætʃ/.
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 40389, this pair ranks #25,739 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of maço vs match
Shared letters: am. Private to "maço": oç. Private to "match": cht.
"maço" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "match" · 5 letters · shape CVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- match ← amtch · macth · matcch · matchh · mathc · mattch · mmatch · mtach
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "maço" for "match" ever safe?
Which is more common, "maço" or "match"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "maço" and "match" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "maço" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "match" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #25,739 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "maço" and "match" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs maço". 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 #25,739 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.