Which to use
“mal” is an adverb and “metal” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #319
- “mal” frequency rank
- #3,027
- “metal” frequency rank
- 3346
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mal | metal |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | de forma pouco satisfatória | toda substância simples, dotada de brilho próprio (brilho metálico), boa condutora de calor e de eletricidade, que forma óxidos básicos em contato com o oxigênio, e que na eletrólise se dirige ao pólo negativo |
Where the eye mixes mal and metal
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses mal with metal
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mal is /ˈmaw/ while metal is /mɨ.ˈtaɫ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3346, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mal is recorded at frequency rank #319, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˈmaw/. metal is at rank #3,027, tagged as anoun, pronounced /mɨ.ˈtaɫ/.
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 3346, this pair ranks #71,826 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mal vs metal
Shared letters: alm. Private to "mal": -. Private to "metal": et.
"mal" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "metal" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- metal ← emtal · meatl · metall · metla · mettal · mmetal · mteal
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mal" and "metal" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "mal" or "metal" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "mal" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "metal" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #71,826 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mal" and "metal" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs mal". 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 #71,826 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.