malharvsmalhoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: malhar is a verb, malho is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“malhar” is a verb and “malho” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#26,455
“malhar” frequency rank
#44,473
“malho” frequency rank
70928
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature malhar malho
Definition bater com malho ou instrumento análogo ferramenta com cabo de madeira e na extremidade uma peça de metal com uma superfície lisa, usada para bater pregos; martelo

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
malhar
5 ch
malho

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: malhar is averb and malhoanoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70928, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

malhar is recorded at frequency rank #26,455, classified as averb, pronounced /mɐ.ˈʎaɾ/. malho is at rank #44,473, tagged as anoun.

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 70928, this pair ranks #3,489 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of malhar vs malho

Shared letters: ahlm. Private to "malhar": r. Private to "malho": o.

"malhar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "malho" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • malharamlhar · mahlar · malahr · malharr · malhhar · malhra · mallhar · mlahar
  • malhoamlho · mahlo · malhho · mallho · maloh · mlaho · mmalho

Frequency comparison

malhar#26,455
malho#44,473

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "malhar" and "malho" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "malhar" is a verb and "malho" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "malhar" or "malho"?
"malhar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,455 in our Portuguese list, against #44,473 for "malho". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering malhar vs malho

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “malhar”; for a noun, it's “malho”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “malhar” 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