Which to use
“mancha” is a noun and “manchar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,658
- “mancha” frequency rank
- #31,443
- “manchar” frequency rank
- 39101
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mancha | manchar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | defeito; imperfeição; labéu; laivo; nódoa; mácula; malha; pinta | sujar, poluir |
Where the eye mixes mancha and manchar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses mancha with manchar
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mancha is /ˈmɐ̃.ʃɐ/ while manchar is /mɐ̃.ˈʃaɾ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “mancha” sits inside “manchar”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39101, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mancha is recorded at frequency rank #7,658, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɐ̃.ʃɐ/. manchar is at rank #31,443, tagged as averb, pronounced /mɐ̃.ˈʃaɾ/.
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 39101, this pair ranks #27,238 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mancha vs manchar
Shared letters: achmn. Private to "mancha": -. Private to "manchar": r.
"mancha" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "manchar" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mancha" for "manchar" ever safe?
Which is more common, "mancha" or "manchar"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mancha" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "manchar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #27,238 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mancha" and "manchar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "manchar vs manhas". 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 #27,238 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.