Which to use
“modem” is a noun and “mole” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #28,676
- “modem” frequency rank
- #7,187
- “mole” frequency rank
- 35863
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | modem | mole |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | dispositivo de entrada e saída, modulador e desmodulador, utilizado para transmissão e processamento de dados entre computadores através de uma linha de comunicação | não duro |
Where the eye mixes modem and mole
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: modem vs mole
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: modem is /mɔ.ˈdɛm/ while mole is /ˈmɔ.lɨ/. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35863, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
modem is recorded at frequency rank #28,676, classified as anoun, pronounced /mɔ.ˈdɛm/. mole is at rank #7,187, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈmɔ.lɨ/.
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 35863, this pair ranks #31,094 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of modem vs mole
Shared letters: emo. Private to "modem": d. Private to "mole": l.
"modem" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "mole" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "modem" for "mole" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "modem" or "mole" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "modem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mole" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #31,094 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "modem" and "mole" 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 #31,094 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.