Which to use
“mat” is a noun and “mui” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,805
- “mat” frequency rank
- #23,741
- “mui” frequency rank
- 45546
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mat | mui |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | casamento | em alto grau |
Where the eye mixes mat and mui
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. mat (CVC) and mui (CVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses mat with mui
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mat is /mat/ while mui is /ˈmũj/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45546, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mat is recorded at frequency rank #21,805, classified as anoun, pronounced /mat/. mui is at rank #23,741, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ˈmũj/.
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 45546, this pair ranks #19,838 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mat vs mui
Shared letters: m. Private to "mat": at. Private to "mui": iu.
"mat" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "mui" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mat" and "mui" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "mat" vs "mui" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mat" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mui" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #19,838 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mat" and "mui" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs mui". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #19,838 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.