Which to use
“mão” is a noun and “mi” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #451
- “mão” frequency rank
- #3,342
- “mi” frequency rank
- 3793
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mão | mi |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | extremidade do membro anterior dos primatas, capaz de manipular objetos; parte do corpo semelhante ou análoga em outros animais | mim |
Where the eye mixes mão and mi
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses mão with mi
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mão is /mãw/ while mi is /ˈmi/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3793, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mão is recorded at frequency rank #451, classified as anoun, pronounced /mãw/. mi is at rank #3,342, tagged as apron, pronounced /ˈmi/.
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 3793, this pair ranks #71,304 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mão vs mi
Shared letters: m. Private to "mão": oã. Private to "mi": i.
"mão" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "mi" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mão" and "mi" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mão" or "mi"?
Useful next steps
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 "mi" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #71,304 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mão" and "mi" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs mi". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #71,304 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.