Which to use
“mask” and “mayo” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,537
- “mask” frequency rank
- #30,251
- “mayo” frequency rank
- 66788
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mask | mayo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | máscara | maio |
Where the eye mixes mask and mayo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. mask (CVCC) and mayo (CVVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses mask with mayo
A purely visual mix-up. mask (/mæsk/) and mayo (/ˈma.ʝo/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 66788, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mask is recorded at frequency rank #36,537, classified as anoun, pronounced /mæsk/. mayo is at rank #30,251, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈma.ʝo/.
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 66788, this pair ranks #4,864 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of mask vs mayo
Shared letters: am. Private to "mask": ks. Private to "mayo": oy.
"mask" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "mayo" · 4 letters · shape CVVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mask" for "mayo" ever safe?
Frequency check: "mask" vs "mayo" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "mask" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mayo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #4,864 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mask" and "mayo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs mask". 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 #4,864 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.