Which to use
“máfia” and “mapa” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,687
- “máfia” frequency rank
- #1,853
- “mapa” frequency rank
- 13540
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | máfia | mapa |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | organização criminosa de origem italiana | carta geográfica ou celestial |
Where the eye mixes máfia and mapa
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses máfia with mapa
A purely visual mix-up. máfia (/ˈma.fjɐ/) and mapa (/ˈma.pɐ/) 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 13540, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
máfia is recorded at frequency rank #11,687, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈma.fjɐ/. mapa is at rank #1,853, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈma.pɐ/.
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 13540, this pair ranks #58,758 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of máfia vs mapa
Shared letters: am. Private to "máfia": fiá. Private to "mapa": p.
"máfia" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV · "mapa" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- mapa ← ampa · maap · mappa · mmapa · mpaa
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "máfia" for "mapa" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "máfia" or "mapa" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "máfia" and "mapa" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "máfia" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mapa" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #58,758 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "máfia" and "mapa" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs máfia". 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 #58,758 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.