Which to use
“mate” is an adjective and “muto” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,048
- “mate” frequency rank
- #43,549
- “muto” frequency rank
- 50597
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mate | muto |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | sem brilho | mudar algo de sítio, remover. |
Where the eye mixes mate and muto
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: mate vs muto
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mate is /ˈma.tɨ/ while muto is /ˈmuː.toː/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50597, 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/. muto is at rank #43,549, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈmuː.toː/.
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 50597, this pair ranks #14,364 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of mate vs muto
Shared letters: mt. Private to "mate": ae. Private to "muto": ou.
"mate" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "muto" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mate" and "muto" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mate" or "muto"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "mate" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "muto" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #14,364 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mate" and "muto" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "muso vs muto". 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 #14,364 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.