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 eye mixes matar and matarem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. matar runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against matarem's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses matar with matarem
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "matar" and "matarem" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "matar" vs "matarem" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "matar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "matarem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #34,238 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "matar" and "matarem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "matarem vs mataria". 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 #34,238 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.