Which to use
“matar” and “matava” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,053
- “matar” frequency rank
- #20,939
- “matava” frequency rank
- 21992
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | matar | matava |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | causar morte, tirar a vida | primeira e terceira pessoa do singular do pretérito imperfeito do modo indicativo do verbo matar |
Where the eye mixes matar and matava
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses matar with matava
A purely visual mix-up. matar (/mɐ.ˈtaɾ/) and matava (/ma.ˈta.vɐ/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21992, 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/. matava is at rank #20,939, tagged as averb, pronounced /ma.ˈta.vɐ/.
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 21992, this pair ranks #48,155 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of matar vs matava
Shared letters: amt. Private to "matar": r. Private to "matava": v.
"matar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "matava" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "matar" for "matava" ever safe?
Frequency check: "matar" vs "matava" - 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 "matar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "matava" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #48,155 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "matar" and "matava" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "marajá vs matava". 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 #48,155 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.