Which to use
“mean” is an adjective and “memo” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,388
- “mean” frequency rank
- #35,681
- “memo” frequency rank
- 54069
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mean | memo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | maldoso, mau, cruel | mesmo |
Letter map: mean vs memo
Shared letters muted; letters that set mean and memo apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.
Grammar separator: mean vs memo
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: mean is anadjective and memoanadverb. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54069, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mean is recorded at frequency rank #18,388, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈmiːn/. memo is at rank #35,681, tagged as anadv.
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 54069, this pair ranks #11,570 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of mean vs memo
Shared letters: em. Private to "mean": an. Private to "memo": o.
"mean" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "memo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mean" for "memo" ever safe?
Which is more common, "mean" or "memo"?
After this comparison
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "mean" and "memo".
- Full dictionary entry for "mean" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "memo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #11,570 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mean" and "memo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "memo vs muso". 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 #11,570 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.