micavsmimarWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: mica is a noun, mimar is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“mica” is a noun and “mimar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#32,689
“mica” frequency rank
#37,916
“mimar” frequency rank
70605
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mica mimar
Definition mineral do grupo de silicatos monoclínicos dar mimo a; tratar com mimo

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
mica
5 ch
mimar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mica is /ˈmi.kɐ/ while mimar is /mi.ˈmaɾ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70605, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mica is recorded at frequency rank #32,689, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈmi.kɐ/. mimar is at rank #37,916, tagged as averb, pronounced /mi.ˈmaɾ/.

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 70605, this pair ranks #3,572 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of mica vs mimar

Shared letters: aim. Private to "mica": c. Private to "mimar": r.

"mica" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "mimar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • micaimca · mcia · miac · micca · mmica
  • mimarimmar · miamr · mimarr · mimmar · mimra · mmiar · mmimar

Frequency comparison

mica#32,689
mimar#37,916

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mica" and "mimar" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mica" is a noun and "mimar" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "mica" or "mimar"?
"mica" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,689 in our Portuguese list, against #37,916 for "mimar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mica vs mimar

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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