Which to use
“matam” and “matei” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,546
- “matam” frequency rank
- #9,532
- “matei” frequency rank
- 17078
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | matam | matei |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | terceira pessoa do plural do presente do indicativo do verbo matar | primeira pessoa do singular do pretérito perfeito do modo indicativo do verbo matar |
Where the eye mixes matam and matei
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: matam vs matei
A purely visual mix-up. matam (/ˈma.tɐ̃ʊm/) and matei (/ma.ˈteɪ/) 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 17078, 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/. matei is at rank #9,532, tagged as averb, pronounced /ma.ˈteɪ/.
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 17078, this pair ranks #54,256 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of matam vs matei
Shared letters: amt. Private to "matam": -. Private to "matei": ei.
"matam" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "matei" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "matam" and "matei" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "matam" vs "matei" - 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 "matam" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "matei" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #54,256 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "matam" and "matei" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "matei vs matiz". 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 #54,256 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.