Which to use
“margem” is a noun and “matem” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,495
- “margem” frequency rank
- #18,638
- “matem” frequency rank
- 22133
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | margem | matem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | a porção de terreno que ladeia um rio ou lagoa | terceira pessoa do plural do presente do modo subjuntivo do verbo matar |
Where the eye mixes margem and matem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. margem runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against matem's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses margem with matem
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: margem is /ˈmaɹ.ʒẽj/ while matem is /ˈma.tẽɲ/. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22133, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
margem is recorded at frequency rank #3,495, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈmaɹ.ʒẽj/. matem is at rank #18,638, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈma.tẽɲ/.
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 22133, this pair ranks #47,980 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of margem vs matem
Shared letters: aem. Private to "margem": gr. Private to "matem": t.
"margem" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "matem" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "margem" for "matem" ever safe?
Frequency check: "margem" vs "matem" - which ranks higher?
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 "margem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "matem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #47,980 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "margem" and "matem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "matem vs matiz". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #47,980 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.