méritovsmortoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: mérito is a noun, morto is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#5,324
“mérito” frequency rank
#1,096
“morto” frequency rank
6420
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mérito morto
Definition conjunto de características que distinguem algo ou alguém como bom e apreciável: que deixou de viver

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mérito and morto apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
mérito
5 ch
morto

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: mérito is anoun and mortoanadjective. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6420, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mérito is recorded at frequency rank #5,324, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɛ.ɾi.tu/. morto is at rank #1,096, tagged as anadj.

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 6420, this pair ranks #68,019 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of mérito vs morto

Shared letters: mort. Private to "mérito": . Private to "morto": -.

"mérito" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "morto" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mortommorto · morot · morrto · mortto · motro · mroto · omrto

Frequency comparison

mérito#5,324
morto#1,096

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mérito" and "morto" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mérito" is a noun and "morto" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "mérito" or "morto"?
"morto" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,096 in our Portuguese list, against #5,324 for "mérito". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mérito vs morto

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list