Which to use
“mate” is an adjective and “mente” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,048
- “mate” frequency rank
- #990
- “mente” frequency rank
- 8038
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mate | mente |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sem brilho | conjunto das ideias e convicções de uma pessoa; o resultado do trabalho cerebral de uma pessoal, intangível mas perceptível em sua forma de raciocinar |
Where the eye mixes mate and mente
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: mate vs mente
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mate is /ˈma.tɨ/ while mente is /ˈmẽ.t͡ʃi/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8038, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mate is recorded at frequency rank #7,048, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈma.tɨ/. mente is at rank #990, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmẽ.t͡ʃi/.
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 8038, this pair ranks #65,896 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mate vs mente
Shared letters: emt. Private to "mate": a. Private to "mente": n.
"mate" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "mente" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mate" and "mente" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "mate" or "mente" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "mate" and "mente" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "mate" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mente" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #65,896 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mate" and "mente" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs mate". 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 #65,896 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.