Which to use
“mens” and “mente” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #47,487
- “mens” frequency rank
- #990
- “mente” frequency rank
- 48477
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mens | mente |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | pessoa, humano, homem | conjunto das ideias e convicções de uma pessoa; o resultado do trabalho cerebral de uma pessoal, intangível mas perceptível em sua forma de raciocinar |
Where the eye mixes mens and mente
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. mens runs 4 letters (CVCC) against mente's 5 (CVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses mens with mente
A purely visual mix-up. mens ([ mɛns ]) and mente (/ˈmẽ.t͡ʃi/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48477, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mens is recorded at frequency rank #47,487, classified as anoun, pronounced [ mɛns ]. mente is at rank #990, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmẽ.t͡ʃi/.
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 48477, this pair ranks #16,678 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of mens vs mente
Shared letters: emn. Private to "mens": s. Private to "mente": t.
"mens" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "mente" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mens" and "mente" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "mens" vs "mente" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "mens" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mente" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #16,678 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mens" and "mente" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mens vs messe". 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 #16,678 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.