Which to use
“matei” and “meter” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,532
- “matei” frequency rank
- #3,705
- “meter” frequency rank
- 13237
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | matei | meter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | primeira pessoa do singular do pretérito perfeito do modo indicativo do verbo matar | introduzir; fazer entrar |
Where the eye mixes matei and meter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses matei with meter
A purely visual mix-up. matei (/ma.ˈteɪ/) and meter (/mɨ.ˈteɾ/) 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 13237, 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/. meter is at rank #3,705, tagged as averb, pronounced /mɨ.ˈteɾ/.
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 13237, this pair ranks #59,184 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of matei vs meter
Shared letters: emt. Private to "matei": ai. Private to "meter": r.
"matei" · 5 letters · shape CVCVV · "meter" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "matei" for "meter" ever safe?
Which is more common, "matei" or "meter"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "matei" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "meter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #59,184 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "matei" and "meter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "matei 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 #59,184 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.