Which to use
“mal” is an adverb and “mar” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #319
- “mal” frequency rank
- #828
- “mar” frequency rank
- 1147
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mal | mar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | de forma pouco satisfatória | grande quantidade de água salgada que cobre parte do planeta Terra, podendo estar localizada junto ou dentro de continentes |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mal and mar apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
mal and mar 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 a single letter - l in “mal” becomes r in “mar” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1147, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mal is recorded at frequency rank #319, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˈmaw/. mar is at rank #828, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmaɾ/.
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 1147, this pair ranks #74,468 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mal" and "mar" be used interchangeably?
Remembering mal vs mar
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “mal”; for a noun, it's “mar”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mal” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable