Which to use
“mão” and “mar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #451
- “mão” frequency rank
- #828
- “mar” frequency rank
- 1279
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mão | mar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | extremidade do membro anterior dos primatas, capaz de manipular objetos; parte do corpo semelhante ou análoga em outros animais | grande quantidade de água salgada que cobre parte do planeta Terra, podendo estar localizada junto ou dentro de continentes |
Where the eye mixes mão and mar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. mão (/mãw/) and mar (/ˈmaɾ/) 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 1279, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mão is recorded at frequency rank #451, classified as anoun, pronounced /mãw/. mar is at rank #828, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmaɾ/.
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 1279, this pair ranks #74,306 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mão vs mar
Shared letters: m. Private to "mão": oã. Private to "mar": ar.
"mão" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "mar" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mão" and "mar" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mão" or "mar"?
What to do next
You've compared "mão" and "mar". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "mão" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #74,306 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mão" and "mar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs mar". Nearby pair
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.