Which to use
“maio” is a noun and “mal” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #523
- “maio” frequency rank
- #319
- “mal” frequency rank
- 842
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | maio | mal |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | quinto mês do ano civil, formado por 31 dias | de forma pouco satisfatória |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set maio and mal apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
maio and mal form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 842, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
maio is recorded at frequency rank #523, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈmaj.ju/. mal is at rank #319, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ˈmaw/.
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 842, this pair ranks #74,789 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "maio" and "mal" be used interchangeably?
Remembering maio vs mal
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “maio”; for an adverb, it's “mal”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “maio” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable