mesmovsmimoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: mesmo is a adjective, mimo is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#56
“mesmo” frequency rank
#22,094
“mimo” frequency rank
22150
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mesmo mimo
Definition que tem igualdade de caráter coisa delicada que dá ou se oferece; presente

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
mesmo
4 ch
mimo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

mesmo and mimo form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22150, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mesmo is recorded at frequency rank #56, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈmeʒ.mu/. mimo is at rank #22,094, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmi.mu/.

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 22150, this pair ranks #47,955 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

mesmo#56
mimo#22,094

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mesmo" and "mimo" be used interchangeably?
No, "mesmo" and "mimo" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering mesmo vs mimo

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “mesmo”; for a noun, it's “mimo”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mesmo” 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