moinhovsmolhoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,401
“moinho” frequency rank
#5,444
“molho” frequency rank
15845
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature moinho molho
Definition engenho para moer cereais feixe pequeno

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set moinho and molho apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
moinho
5 ch
molho

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. moinho (/mu.ˈi.ɲu/ [muˈiɲu], [ˈmu̯iɲu]) 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 15845, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

moinho is recorded at frequency rank #10,401, classified as anoun, pronounced /mu.ˈi.ɲu/ [muˈiɲu], [ˈmu̯iɲu]. 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 15845, this pair ranks #55,879 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of moinho vs molho

Shared letters: hmo. Private to "moinho": in. Private to "molho": l.

"moinho" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV  ·  "molho" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • moinhomionho · mmoinho · moihno · moinhho · moinnho · moinoh · moniho · ominho
  • molhomloho · mmolho · mohlo · molhho · mollho · moloh · omlho

Frequency comparison

moinho#10,401
molho#5,444

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "moinho" and "molho" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/mu.ˈi.ɲu/ [muˈiɲu], [ˈmu̯iɲu] versus /ˈmɔ.ʎu/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "moinho" or "molho"?
"molho" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,444 in our Portuguese list, against #10,401 for "moinho". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering moinho vs molho

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 “moinho” 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