# mate vs mule

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### mate
*noun · IPA /meɪt/ · frequency rank #2,743*
A fellow, comrade, colleague, partner or someone with whom something is shared, e.g. shipmate, classmate.

### mule
*noun · IPA /mjuːl/ · frequency rank #16,279*
The generally sterile male or female hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/mate-vs-mule