Which to use
“mão” is a noun and “mec” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #451
- “mão” frequency rank
- #8,225
- “mec” frequency rank
- 8676
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mão | mec |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | extremidade do membro anterior dos primatas, capaz de manipular objetos; parte do corpo semelhante ou análoga em outros animais | tranquilo |
Letter map: mão vs mec
Shared letters muted; letters that set mão and mec apart highlighted. Shared run: 1.
Grammar separator: mão vs mec
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: mão is anoun and mecanadjective. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8676, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mão is recorded at frequency rank #451, classified as anoun, pronounced /mãw/. mec is at rank #8,225, tagged as anadj.
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 8676, this pair ranks #65,007 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mão vs mec
Shared letters: m. Private to "mão": oã. Private to "mec": ce.
"mão" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "mec" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mão" for "mec" ever safe?
Frequency check: "mão" vs "mec" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "mão" and "mec".
- Full dictionary entry for "mão" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mec" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #65,007 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mão" and "mec" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs mec". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #65,007 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.