Which to use
“matem” is a verb and “matter” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,638
- “matem” frequency rank
- #22,387
- “matter” frequency rank
- 41025
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | matem | matter |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | terceira pessoa do plural do presente do modo subjuntivo do verbo matar | matéria |
Where the eye mixes matem and matter
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: matem vs matter
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: matem is /ˈma.tẽɲ/ while matter is /ˈmætɚ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41025, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
matem is recorded at frequency rank #18,638, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈma.tẽɲ/. matter is at rank #22,387, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmætɚ/.
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 41025, this pair ranks #25,000 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of matem vs matter
Shared letters: aemt. Private to "matem": -. Private to "matter": r.
"matem" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "matter" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "matem" for "matter" ever safe?
Which is more common, "matem" or "matter"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "matem" and "matter" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "matem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "matter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #25,000 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "matem" and "matter" 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 #25,000 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.