Which to use
“moço” is an adjective and “molho” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,496
- “moço” frequency rank
- #5,444
- “molho” frequency rank
- 17940
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | moço | molho |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | verde, não maduro | feixe pequeno |
Where the eye mixes moço and molho
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses moço with molho
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: moço is /ˈmo.sʊ/ while molho is /ˈmɔ.ʎu/. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17940, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
moço is recorded at frequency rank #12,496, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈmo.sʊ/. molho is at rank #5,444, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɔ.ʎu/.
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 17940, this pair ranks #53,176 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of moço vs molho
Shared letters: mo. Private to "moço": ç. Private to "molho": hl.
"moço" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "molho" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- molho ← mloho · mmolho · mohlo · molhho · mollho · moloh · omlho
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "moço" and "molho" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "moço" vs "molho" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "moço" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "molho" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #53,176 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "moço" and "molho" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "moço vs muso". 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 #53,176 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.