Which to use
“máfia” and “meia” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,687
- “máfia” frequency rank
- #1,054
- “meia” frequency rank
- 12741
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | máfia | meia |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | organização criminosa de origem italiana | peça de vestuário de tecido de malha que se calça sobre a pele até meio da perna |
Where the eye mixes máfia and meia
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses máfia with meia
A purely visual mix-up. máfia (/ˈma.fjɐ/) and meia (/ˈmɐj.ɐ/) 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 12741, 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/. meia is at rank #1,054, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɐj.ɐ/.
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 12741, this pair ranks #59,760 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of máfia vs meia
Shared letters: aim. Private to "máfia": fá. Private to "meia": e.
"máfia" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV · "meia" · 4 letters · shape CVVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- meia ← emia · meai · miea · mmeia
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "máfia" and "meia" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "máfia" or "meia" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "máfia" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "meia" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #59,760 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "máfia" and "meia" 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 #59,760 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.