Which to use
“model” and “modem” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,860
- “model” frequency rank
- #28,676
- “modem” frequency rank
- 46536
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | model | modem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | modelo | dispositivo de entrada e saída, modulador e desmodulador, utilizado para transmissão e processamento de dados entre computadores através de uma linha de comunicação |
Where the eye mixes model and modem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses model with modem
A purely visual mix-up. model (/mo.dǝl/) and modem (/mɔ.ˈdɛm/) 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 a single letter - l in “model” becomes m in “modem”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46536, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
model is recorded at frequency rank #17,860, classified as anoun, pronounced /mo.dǝl/. modem is at rank #28,676, tagged as anoun, pronounced /mɔ.ˈdɛm/.
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 46536, this pair ranks #18,756 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of model vs modem
Shared letters: demo. Private to "model": l. Private to "modem": -.
"model" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "modem" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "model" for "modem" ever safe?
Frequency check: "model" vs "modem" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "model" and "modem" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "model" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "modem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #18,756 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "model" and "modem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "moagem vs modem". 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 #18,756 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.