medo vs método, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“medo” is an adjective and “método” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#379
“medo” frequency rank: #2,334
“método” frequency rank: 2713
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	medo	método
Definition	que pertence ou se refere à Média	modo ordenado de fazer as coisas, ordem:

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set medo and método apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch

medo

6 ch

método

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: medo is AFI: /'me.du/ while método is /ˈmɛ.tu.du/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2713, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

medo is recorded at frequency rank #379, classified as anadj, pronounced AFI: /'me.du/. método is at rank #2,334, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɛ.tu.du/.

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 2713, this pair ranks #72,575 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of medo vs método

Shared letters: dmo. Private to "medo": e. Private to "método": té.

"medo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "método" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

medo ← emdo · mdeo · meddo · meod · mmedo

Frequency comparison

medo#379

método#2,334

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "medo" and "método" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "medo" is an adjective and "método" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "medo" or "método"?

"medo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #379 in our Portuguese list, against #2,334 for "método". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering medo vs método

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “medo”; for a noun, it's “método”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “medo” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable