Which to use
“mask” and “mesa” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,537
- “mask” frequency rank
- #1,364
- “mesa” frequency rank
- 37901
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mask | mesa |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | máscara | móvel usado como superfície para se alimentar, conversar, estudar; távola |
Where the eye mixes mask and mesa
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. mask (CVCC) and mesa (CVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses mask with mesa
A purely visual mix-up. mask (/mæsk/) and mesa (/ˈme.zɐ/) 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 37901, 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/. mesa is at rank #1,364, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈme.zɐ/.
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 37901, this pair ranks #28,650 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mask vs mesa
Shared letters: ams. Private to "mask": k. Private to "mesa": e.
"mask" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "mesa" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mask" for "mesa" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "mask" or "mesa" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "mask" and "mesa" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "mask" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mesa" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #28,650 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mask" and "mesa" 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 #28,650 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.