Which to use
“matei” and “matem” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,532
- “matei” frequency rank
- #18,638
- “matem” frequency rank
- 28170
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | matei | matem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | primeira pessoa do singular do pretérito perfeito do modo indicativo do verbo matar | terceira pessoa do plural do presente do modo subjuntivo do verbo matar |
Where the eye mixes matei and matem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: matei vs matem
A purely visual mix-up. matei (/ma.ˈteɪ/) 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 a single letter - i in “matei” becomes m in “matem”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28170, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
matei is recorded at frequency rank #9,532, classified as averb, pronounced /ma.ˈteɪ/. 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 28170, this pair ranks #40,680 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of matei vs matem
Shared letters: aemt. Private to "matei": i. Private to "matem": -.
"matei" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV · "matem" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "matei" and "matem" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "matei" or "matem"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "matei" and "matem" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "matei" 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 #40,680 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "matei" 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 #40,680 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.