mateivsmathWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: matei is a verb, math is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“matei” is a verb and “math” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#9,532
“matei” frequency rank
#31,869
“math” frequency rank
41401
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature matei math
Definition primeira pessoa do singular do pretérito perfeito do modo indicativo do verbo matar bom

Letter map: matei vs math

Shared letters muted; letters that set matei and math apart highlighted. Shared run: 3.

5 ch
matei
4 ch
math

Role in the sentence - matei and math

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: matei is averb and mathanadjective. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41401, 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/. math is at rank #31,869, tagged as anadj.

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 41401, this pair ranks #24,520 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of matei vs math

Shared letters: amt. Private to "matei": ei. Private to "math": h.

"matei" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV  ·  "math" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mateiamtei · maeti · matie · mattei · mmatei · mtaei
  • mathamth · maht · mathh · matth · mmath · mtah

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "matei" and "math" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "matei" is a verb and "math" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "matei" or "math"?
"matei" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,532 in our Portuguese list, against #31,869 for "math". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pair "matei" vs "math" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.

  • Full dictionary entry for "matei" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "math" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #24,520 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "matei" and "math" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs math". 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 #24,520 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list