mataremvsmatemTell them apart

Which to use

“matarem” and “matem” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#32,255
“matarem” frequency rank
#18,638
“matem” frequency rank
50893
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature matarem matem
Definition terceira pessoa do plural do futuro do modo subjuntivo do verbo matar terceira pessoa do plural do presente do modo subjuntivo do verbo matar

Where the eye mixes matarem and matem

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. matarem runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against matem's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
matarem
5 ch
matem

Why the eye confuses matarem with matem

A purely visual mix-up. matarem (/ma.ˈta.ɾẽɲ/) and matem (/ˈma.tẽɲ/) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50893, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

matarem is recorded at frequency rank #32,255, classified as averb, pronounced /ma.ˈta.ɾẽɲ/. matem is at rank #18,638, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈma.tẽɲ/.

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 50893, this pair ranks #14,062 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of matarem vs matem

Shared letters: aemt. Private to "matarem": r. Private to "matem": -.

"matarem" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "matem" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • matarem ← amtarem · maatrem · mataerm · mataremm · matarme · matarrem · matraem · mattarem
  • matem ← amtem · maetm · matemm · matme · mattem · mmatem · mtaem

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "matarem" and "matem" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently (/ma.ˈta.ɾẽɲ/ versus /ˈma.tẽɲ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "matarem" vs "matem" - which ranks higher?
"matem" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,638 in our Portuguese list, against #32,255 for "matarem". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "matarem" and "matem" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "matarem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "matem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #14,062 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "matarem" and "matem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "matem vs matiz". 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 #14,062 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