matevsmorteWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: mate is a adjective, morte is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“mate” is an adjective and “morte” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#7,048
“mate” frequency rank
#281
“morte” frequency rank
7329
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mate morte
Definition sem brilho ato de morrer ou efeito de matar; fato ou momento que leva algo do estado vivo para o estado morto

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mate and morte apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
mate
5 ch
morte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

mate and morte form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7329, 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/. morte is at rank #281, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɔr.tʃi/ /ˈmɔr.ti/.

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 7329, this pair ranks #66,823 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

mate#7,048
morte#281

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mate" and "morte" be used interchangeably?
No, "mate" and "morte" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering mate vs morte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “mate”; for a noun, it's “morte”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mate” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list