Which to use
“mãos” is a noun and “mo” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #761
- “mãos” frequency rank
- #4,745
- “mo” frequency rank
- 5506
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mãos | mo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural de mão | combinação de me (pronome pessoal oblíquo átono) e o (pronome pessoal oblíquo átono, pronome demonstrativo masculino ou pronome demonstrativo neutro) |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mãos and mo apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mãos is /ˈmɐ̃w̃ʃ/ while mo is /mo/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 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 5506, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mãos is recorded at frequency rank #761, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɐ̃w̃ʃ/. mo is at rank #4,745, tagged as apron, pronounced /mo/.
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 5506, this pair ranks #69,089 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mãos vs mo
Shared letters: mo. Private to "mãos": sã. Private to "mo": -.
"mãos" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "mo" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mãos" and "mo" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mãos" or "mo"?
Remembering mãos vs mo
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “mãos”; for a pronoun, it's “mo”.
- 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