Which to use
“mãos” is a noun and “mau” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #761
- “mãos” frequency rank
- #1,936
- “mau” frequency rank
- 2697
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mãos | mau |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural de mão | que não é de boa qualidade, ruim |
Where the eye mixes mãos and mau
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. mãos runs 4 letters (CVVC) against mau's 3 (CVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses mãos with mau
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mãos is /ˈmɐ̃w̃ʃ/ while mau is /ˈmaw/. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2697, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mãos is recorded at frequency rank #761, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɐ̃w̃ʃ/. mau is at rank #1,936, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈmaw/.
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 2697, this pair ranks #72,601 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mãos vs mau
Shared letters: m. Private to "mãos": osã. Private to "mau": au.
"mãos" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "mau" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "mãos" and "mau" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "mãos" or "mau" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "mãos" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mau" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #72,601 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mãos" and "mau" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs mau". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #72,601 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.