Which to use
“mão” and “mask” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #451
- “mão” frequency rank
- #36,537
- “mask” frequency rank
- 36988
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mão | mask |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | extremidade do membro anterior dos primatas, capaz de manipular objetos; parte do corpo semelhante ou análoga em outros animais | máscara |
Where the eye mixes mão and mask
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between mão and mask
A purely visual mix-up. mão (/mãw/) and mask (/mæsk/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36988, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mão is recorded at frequency rank #451, classified as anoun, pronounced /mãw/. mask is at rank #36,537, tagged as anoun, pronounced /mæsk/.
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 36988, this pair ranks #29,717 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mão vs mask
Shared letters: m. Private to "mão": oã. Private to "mask": aks.
"mão" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "mask" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- mask ← amsk · maks · maskk · massk · mmask · msak
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mão" for "mask" ever safe?
Which is more common, "mão" or "mask"?
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 "mão" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mask" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #29,717 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mão" and "mask" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs mask". 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 #29,717 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.