mãosvsmapWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: mãos is a noun, map is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“mãos” is a noun and “map” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#761
“mãos” frequency rank
#18,636
“map” frequency rank
19397
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mãos map
Definition plural de mão mapear

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mãos and map apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
mãos
3 ch
map

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: mãos is anoun and mapaverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19397, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mãos is recorded at frequency rank #761, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɐ̃w̃ʃ/. map is at rank #18,636, tagged as averb.

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 19397, this pair ranks #51,333 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of mãos vs map

Shared letters: m. Private to "mãos": osã. Private to "map": ap.

"mãos" · 4 letters · shape CVVC  ·  "map" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

mãos#761
map#18,636

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mãos" and "map" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mãos" is a noun and "map" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "mãos" or "map"?
"mãos" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #761 in our Portuguese list, against #18,636 for "map". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering mãos vs map

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “mãos”; for a verb, it's “map”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mãos” 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