matamvsmatamosWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“matam” and “matamos” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#7,546
“matam” frequency rank
#29,430
“matamos” frequency rank
36976
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature matam matamos
Definition terceira pessoa do plural do presente do indicativo do verbo matar primeira pessoa do plural do presente do modo indicativo do verbo matar

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set matam and matamos apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
matam
7 ch
matamos

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. matam (/ˈma.tɐ̃ʊm/) and matamos (/ma.ˈtɐ̃.mʊʃ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “matam” sits inside “matamos”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36976, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

matam is recorded at frequency rank #7,546, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈma.tɐ̃ʊm/. matamos is at rank #29,430, tagged as averb, pronounced /ma.ˈtɐ̃.mʊʃ/.

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 36976, this pair ranks #29,741 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of matam vs matamos

Shared letters: amt. Private to "matam": -. Private to "matamos": os.

"matam" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "matamos" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • matamamtam · maatm · matamm · matma · mattam · mmatam · mtaam
  • matamosamtamos · maatmos · matammos · matamoss · matamso · mataoms · matmaos · mattamos

Frequency comparison

matam#7,546
matamos#29,430

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "matam" and "matamos" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈma.tɐ̃ʊm/ versus /ma.ˈtɐ̃.mʊʃ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "matam" or "matamos"?
"matam" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,546 in our Portuguese list, against #29,430 for "matamos". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering matam vs matamos

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “matam” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list