matar vs matarem, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#1,053
“matar” frequency rank: #32,255
“matarem” frequency rank: 33308
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	matar	matarem
Definition	causar morte, tirar a vida	terceira pessoa do plural do futuro do modo subjuntivo do verbo matar

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch

matar

7 ch

matarem

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. matar (/mɐ.ˈtaɾ/) and matarem (/ma.ˈta.ɾẽɲ/) 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) - “matar” sits inside “matarem”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33308, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

matar is recorded at frequency rank #1,053, classified as averb, pronounced /mɐ.ˈtaɾ/. matarem is at rank #32,255, tagged as averb, pronounced /ma.ˈta.ɾẽɲ/.

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 33308, this pair ranks #34,238 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of matar vs matarem

Shared letters: amrt. Private to "matar": -. Private to "matarem": e.

"matar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "matarem" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

matar ← amtar · maatr · matarr · matra · mattar · mmatar · mtaar
matarem ← amtarem · maatrem · mataerm · mataremm · matarme · matarrem · matraem · mattarem

Frequency comparison

matar#1,053

matarem#32,255

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "matar" and "matarem" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently (/mɐ.ˈtaɾ/ versus /ma.ˈta.ɾẽɲ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "matar" or "matarem"?

"matar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,053 in our Portuguese list, against #32,255 for "matarem". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering matar vs matarem

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 “matar” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable