maletavsmataWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“maleta” and “mata” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#29,036
“maleta” frequency rank
#1,436
“mata” frequency rank
30472
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature maleta mata
Definition pequena mala porção de terreno repleto de árvores silvestres

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set maleta and mata apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
maleta
4 ch
mata

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. maleta (/mɐ.ˈle.tɐ/) and mata (/ˈma.tɐ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30472, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

maleta is recorded at frequency rank #29,036, classified as anoun, pronounced /mɐ.ˈle.tɐ/. mata is at rank #1,436, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈma.tɐ/.

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 30472, this pair ranks #37,873 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of maleta vs mata

Shared letters: amt. Private to "maleta": el. Private to "mata": -.

"maleta" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "mata" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • maletaamleta · maelta · maleat · maletta · malleta · maltea · mlaeta · mmaleta
  • mataamta · maat · matta · mmata · mtaa

Frequency comparison

maleta#29,036
mata#1,436

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "maleta" and "mata" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/mɐ.ˈle.tɐ/ versus /ˈma.tɐ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "maleta" or "mata"?
"mata" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,436 in our Portuguese list, against #29,036 for "maleta". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering maleta vs mata

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “maleta” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list