modemvsmoteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“modem” and “mote” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#28,676
“modem” frequency rank
#18,928
“mote” frequency rank
47604
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature modem mote
Definition dispositivo de entrada e saída, modulador e desmodulador, utilizado para transmissão e processamento de dados entre computadores através de uma linha de comunicação partícula de pó

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
modem
4 ch
mote

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. modem (/mɔ.ˈdɛm/) and mote (/moʊt/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47604, 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/. mote is at rank #18,928, tagged as anoun, pronounced /moʊt/.

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 47604, this pair ranks #17,629 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of modem vs mote

Shared letters: emo. Private to "modem": d. Private to "mote": t.

"modem" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "mote" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • modemmdoem · mmodem · moddem · modemm · modme · moedm · omdem
  • motemmote · moet · motte · mtoe · omte

Frequency comparison

modem#28,676
mote#18,928

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "modem" and "mote" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/mɔ.ˈdɛm/ versus /moʊt/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "modem" or "mote"?
"mote" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,928 in our Portuguese list, against #28,676 for "modem". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering modem vs mote

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “modem” 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