Mat or matte?
mat is a noun meaning “A flat piece of coarse material used for wiping one’s feet, or as a decorative…”; matte is a noun meaning “A decorative border around a picture used to inset and center the contents of a…”. They sound the same (/mæt/). In written English (wordfreq, 2021 data) mat is about 2.1 times as common as matte.
What is the difference between mat and matte?
| mat | matte | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | noun, verb, adjective | noun, adjective, verb |
| Meaning | A flat piece of coarse material used for wiping one’s feet, or as a decorative or protective floor covering A small flat piece of material used to protect a surface from anything hot or rough; a coaster To cover, protect or decorate with mats | A decorative border around a picture used to inset and center the contents of a frame A background, often painted or created with computers USDull; not reflective of light |
| Example | Wipe your feet on the mat before coming in | The image is a perfect square of 8 cm (with white matte border the total dimensions are 14 cm tall by 11 cm wide) |
| Forms | mats | mattes |
| Pronunciation | /mæt/ [mæʔ(t̚)] | /mæt/ |
| In writing | 6.9 times per million words | 3.3 times per million words |
Sources: mat and matte in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of mat and matte
mat
- 1
A flat piece of coarse material used for wiping one’s feet, or as a decorative or protective floor covering
Wipe your feet on the mat before coming in
- 2
To cover, protect or decorate with mats
- 3
slangClipping of material
I used up all my mats cranking 90s and ended up getting one-pumped
- 4
An alloy of copper, tin, iron, etc.; white metal
- 5
Alternative form of matte (“to produce a dull, lustreless surface on metal”)
- 6
datedslangAbbreviation of matinee (“performance at a theater”)
- 7
Alternative spelling of matte (“decorative border around a picture”)
the mat of a daguerreotype
- 8
Alternative form of matte (“not reflecting light”)
matte
- 1
A decorative border around a picture used to inset and center the contents of a frame
The image is a perfect square of 8 cm (with white matte border the total dimensions are 14 cm tall by 11 cm wide)
- 2
USDull; not reflective of light
Flat or matte paint allows a deep color expression on the walls while also hiding flaws that may be inherent on the painted surface
- 3
To produce a dull, lustreless surface on (metal)
- 4
A background, often painted or created with computers
Matte painting is a tool that filmmakers can use to create a scene that is impossible to achieve with conventional cinematographic means
- 5
The molten metal sulfide phases typically formed during smelting of copper, nickel, and other base metals
- 6
An instrument for producing a dull, lustreless surface
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, mat or matte?
mat appears 6.9 times per million words; matte 3.3 times per million words.
mat 6.9 times per million wordsmatte 3.3 times per million words
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).