mamãvsmulaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#29,037
“mamã” frequency rank
#19,501
“mula” frequency rank
48538
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mamã mula
Definition mãe animal fêmea resultante do cruzamento dum jumento com uma égua

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mamã and mula apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
mamã
4 ch
mula

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. mamã (/mɜˈmɜ̃/) and mula (/ˈmu.lɐ/) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48538, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mamã is recorded at frequency rank #29,037, classified as anoun, pronounced /mɜˈmɜ̃/. mula is at rank #19,501, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmu.lɐ/.

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 48538, this pair ranks #16,625 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of mamã vs mula

Shared letters: am. Private to "mamã": ã. Private to "mula": lu.

"mamã" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "mula" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mulamlua · mmula · mual · mulla · umla

Frequency comparison

mamã#29,037
mula#19,501

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mamã" and "mula" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/mɜˈmɜ̃/ versus /ˈmu.lɐ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mamã" or "mula"?
"mula" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,501 in our Portuguese list, against #29,037 for "mamã". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mamã vs mula

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 “mamã” 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