Which to use
“mãe” and “mel” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #170
- “mãe” frequency rank
- #2,843
- “mel” frequency rank
- 3013
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mãe | mel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mulher que tem ou teve filhos, naturais ou adotivos | substância doce, espessa e viscosa elaborada pelas abelhas nas colmeias |
Where the eye mixes mãe and mel
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. mãe (/ˈmɐ̃j̃/) and mel (/ˈmɛɫ/) 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 3013, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mãe is recorded at frequency rank #170, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɐ̃j̃/. mel is at rank #2,843, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɛɫ/.
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 3013, this pair ranks #72,200 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mãe vs mel
Shared letters: em. Private to "mãe": ã. Private to "mel": l.
"mãe" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "mel" · 3 letters · shape CVC