Which to use
“mau” is an adjective and “mo” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,936
- “mau” frequency rank
- #4,745
- “mo” frequency rank
- 6681
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mau | mo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | que não é de boa qualidade, ruim | combinação de me (pronome pessoal oblíquo átono) e o (pronome pessoal oblíquo átono, pronome demonstrativo masculino ou pronome demonstrativo neutro) |
Where the eye mixes mau and mo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses mau with mo
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mau is /ˈmaw/ while mo is /mo/. 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 (adjective vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6681, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mau is recorded at frequency rank #1,936, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈmaw/. mo is at rank #4,745, tagged as apron, pronounced /mo/.
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 6681, this pair ranks #67,700 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mau vs mo
Shared letters: m. Private to "mau": au. Private to "mo": o.
"mau" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "mo" · 2 letters · shape CV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "mau" and "mo" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "mau" or "mo"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "mau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #67,700 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mau" and "mo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs mo". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #67,700 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.