Which to use
“mal” is an adverb and “mel” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #319
- “mal” frequency rank
- #2,843
- “mel” frequency rank
- 3162
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mal | mel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | de forma pouco satisfatória | substância doce, espessa e viscosa elaborada pelas abelhas nas colmeias |
Where the eye mixes mal and mel
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses mal with mel
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mal is /ˈmaw/ while mel is /ˈmɛɫ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - a in “mal” becomes e in “mel”, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3162, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mal is recorded at frequency rank #319, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˈmaw/. 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 3162, this pair ranks #72,034 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mal vs mel
Shared letters: lm. Private to "mal": a. Private to "mel": e.
"mal" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "mel" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mal" for "mel" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "mal" or "mel" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "mal" and "mel" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "mal" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #72,034 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mal" and "mel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs mel". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #72,034 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.