Which to use
“mau” is an adjective and “mui” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,936
- “mau” frequency rank
- #23,741
- “mui” frequency rank
- 25677
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mau | mui |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | que não é de boa qualidade, ruim | em alto grau |
Where the eye mixes mau and mui
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses mau with mui
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mau is /ˈmaw/ while mui is /ˈmũj/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25677, 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/. mui is at rank #23,741, tagged as anadv, pronounced /ˈmũj/.
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 25677, this pair ranks #43,600 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mau vs mui
Shared letters: mu. Private to "mau": a. Private to "mui": i.
"mau" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "mui" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mau" and "mui" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "mau" vs "mui" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "mau" and "mui" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "mau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mui" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #43,600 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mau" and "mui" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs mui". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #43,600 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.