modovsmolhoConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#606
“modo” frequency rank
#5,444
“molho” frequency rank
6050
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature modo molho
Definition maneira, jeito feixe pequeno

Where the eye mixes modo and molho

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

4 ch
modo
5 ch
molho

Look-alike desk: modo vs molho

A purely visual mix-up. modo (/ˈmɔ.du/) and molho (/ˈmɔ.ʎu/) 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 6050, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

modo is recorded at frequency rank #606, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɔ.du/. 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 6050, this pair ranks #68,467 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of modo vs molho

Shared letters: mo. Private to "modo": d. Private to "molho": hl.

"modo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "molho" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • modomdoo · mmodo · moddo · omdo
  • molhomloho · mmolho · mohlo · molhho · mollho · moloh · omlho

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "modo" and "molho" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently (/ˈmɔ.du/ versus /ˈmɔ.ʎu/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "modo" vs "molho" - which ranks higher?
"modo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #606 in our Portuguese list, against #5,444 for "molho". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "modo" and "molho" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "modo" 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 #68,467 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "modo" and "molho" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "malho vs molho". 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 #68,467 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list