Which to use
“mala” and “mora” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,568
- “mala” frequency rank
- #2,057
- “mora” frequency rank
- 6625
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mala | mora |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | bolsa (geralmente de couro ou pano e com cadeado) usada para carregar dinheiro, documentos e outros objetos | demora, dilação, delonga |
Where the eye mixes mala and mora
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between mala and mora
A purely visual mix-up. mala (/ˈma.lɐ/) and mora (/ˈmɔ.ɾɐ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6625, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mala is recorded at frequency rank #4,568, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈma.lɐ/. mora is at rank #2,057, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɔ.ɾɐ/.
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 6625, this pair ranks #67,779 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mala vs mora
Shared letters: am. Private to "mala": l. Private to "mora": or.
"mala" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "mora" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "mala" and "mora" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "mala" or "mora"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mala" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mora" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #67,779 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mala" and "mora" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs mala". 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 #67,779 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.