Which to use
“matar” and “mudar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,053
- “matar” frequency rank
- #620
- “mudar” frequency rank
- 1673
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | matar | mudar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | causar morte, tirar a vida | transferir de um lugar para outro |
Where the eye mixes matar and mudar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: matar vs mudar
A purely visual mix-up. matar (/mɐ.ˈtaɾ/) and mudar (/mu.ˈdaɾ/) 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 1673, 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/. mudar is at rank #620, tagged as averb, pronounced /mu.ˈdaɾ/.
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 1673, this pair ranks #73,847 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of matar vs mudar
Shared letters: amr. Private to "matar": t. Private to "mudar": du.
"matar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "mudar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "matar" and "mudar" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "matar" or "mudar" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "matar" and "mudar" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "matar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mudar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #73,847 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "matar" and "mudar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs matar". 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 #73,847 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.