Which to use
“mata” and “mula” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,436
- “mata” frequency rank
- #19,501
- “mula” frequency rank
- 20937
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mata | mula |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | porção de terreno repleto de árvores silvestres | animal fêmea resultante do cruzamento dum jumento com uma égua |
Where the eye mixes mata and mula
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between mata and mula
A purely visual mix-up. mata (/ˈma.tɐ/) and mula (/ˈmu.lɐ/) 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 20937, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mata is recorded at frequency rank #1,436, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈma.tɐ/. mula is at rank #19,501, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmu.lɐ/.
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 20937, this pair ranks #49,458 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mata vs mula
Shared letters: am. Private to "mata": t. Private to "mula": lu.
"mata" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "mula" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mata" for "mula" ever safe?
Frequency check: "mata" vs "mula" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mata" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mula" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #49,458 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mata" and "mula" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs mula". 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 #49,458 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.