matarvsmathWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: matar is a verb, math is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“matar” is a verb and “math” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,053
“matar” frequency rank
#31,869
“math” frequency rank
32922
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature matar math
Definition causar morte, tirar a vida bom

Letter map: matar vs math

Shared letters muted; letters that set matar and math apart highlighted. Shared run: 3.

5 ch
matar
4 ch
math

Grammar separator: matar vs math

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: matar is averb and mathanadjective. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32922, 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/. math is at rank #31,869, tagged as anadj.

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 32922, this pair ranks #34,730 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of matar vs math

Shared letters: amt. Private to "matar": r. Private to "math": h.

"matar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "math" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mataramtar · maatr · matarr · matra · mattar · mmatar · mtaar
  • mathamth · maht · mathh · matth · mmath · mtah

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "matar" for "math" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "matar" is a verb and "math" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "matar" or "math"?
"matar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,053 in our Portuguese list, against #31,869 for "math". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

Pair "matar" vs "math" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.

  • Full dictionary entry for "matar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "math" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #34,730 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "matar" and "math" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs math". 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 #34,730 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list