Which to use
“mate” and “mole” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,048
- “mate” frequency rank
- #7,187
- “mole” frequency rank
- 14235
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mate | mole |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sem brilho | não duro |
Where the eye mixes mate and mole
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: mate vs mole
A purely visual mix-up. mate (/ˈma.tɨ/) and mole (/ˈmɔ.lɨ/) 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 14235, 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/. mole is at rank #7,187, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈmɔ.lɨ/.
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 14235, this pair ranks #57,917 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mate vs mole
Shared letters: em. Private to "mate": at. Private to "mole": lo.
"mate" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "mole" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mate" for "mole" ever safe?
Which is more common, "mate" or "mole"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "mate" and "mole" 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 "mole" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #57,917 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mate" and "mole" 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 #57,917 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.