mathvsmatouConfusable pair

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

Which to use

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

#31,869
“math” frequency rank
#2,691
“matou” frequency rank
34560
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature math matou
Definition bom terceira pessoa do singular do pretérito perfeito do indicativo do verbo matar

Letter map: math vs matou

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

4 ch
math
5 ch
matou

Grammar separator: math vs matou

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: math is anadjective and matouaverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34560, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

math is recorded at frequency rank #31,869, classified as anadj. matou is at rank #2,691, tagged as averb, pronounced /ma.ˈtoʊ/.

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 34560, this pair ranks #32,671 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of math vs matou

Shared letters: amt. Private to "math": h. Private to "matou": ou.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mathamth · maht · mathh · matth · mmath · mtah
  • matouamtou · maotu · mattou · matuo · mmatou · mtaou

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "math" and "matou" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "math" is an adjective and "matou" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "math" or "matou"?
"matou" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,691 in our Portuguese list, against #31,869 for "math". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "math" and "matou".

  • Full dictionary entry for "math" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "matou" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #32,671 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "math" and "matou" 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 #32,671 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