mãovsmusoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“mão” and “muso” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#451
“mão” frequency rank
#48,023
“muso” frequency rank
48474
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mão muso
Definition extremidade do membro anterior dos primatas, capaz de manipular objetos; parte do corpo semelhante ou análoga em outros animais homem que inspira o bem-querer de outras pessoas por conta de sua boa aparência, belo físico e ademais por vezes também incluindo-se a estes o seu carisma

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mão and muso apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
mão
4 ch
muso

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

mão and muso form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48474, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mão is recorded at frequency rank #451, classified as anoun, pronounced /mãw/. muso is at rank #48,023, tagged as anoun.

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 48474, this pair ranks #16,687 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Frequency comparison

mão#451
muso#48,023

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mão" and "muso" be used interchangeably?
No, "mão" and "muso" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering mão vs muso

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mão” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list