Which to use
“matar” and “matou” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,053
- “matar” frequency rank
- #2,691
- “matou” frequency rank
- 3744
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | matar | matou |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | causar morte, tirar a vida | terceira pessoa do singular do pretérito perfeito do indicativo do verbo matar |
Where the eye mixes matar and matou
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: matar vs matou
A purely visual mix-up. matar (/mɐ.ˈtaɾ/) and matou (/ma.ˈtoʊ/) 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 3744, 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/. matou is at rank #2,691, tagged as averb, pronounced /ma.ˈtoʊ/.
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 3744, this pair ranks #71,351 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of matar vs matou
Shared letters: amt. Private to "matar": r. Private to "matou": ou.
"matar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "matou" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "matar" for "matou" ever safe?
Frequency check: "matar" vs "matou" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
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 "matou" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #71,351 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "matar" and "matou" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "matiz vs matou". 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 #71,351 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.