Which to use
“mean” is a verb and “mex” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #274
- “mean” frequency rank
- #30,134
- “mex” frequency rank
- 30408
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mean | mex |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To intend. | The mex of a subset of a well-ordered set is the smallest value from the whole set that does not belong to the subset. |
Letter map: mean vs mex
Shared letters muted; letters that set mean and mex apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.
Grammar separator: mean vs mex
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: mean is averb and mexanoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30408, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mean is recorded at frequency rank #274, classified as averb, pronounced /miːn/. mex is at rank #30,134, tagged as anoun.
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 30408, this pair ranks #354,806 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mean vs mex
Shared letters: em. Private to "mean": an. Private to "mex": x.
"mean" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "mex" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- mean ← eman · maen · meann · mmean
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mean" and "mex" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "mean" vs "mex" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
You've compared "mean" and "mex". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "mean" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mex" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #354,806 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mean" and "mex" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mex vs MMP". 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 #354,806 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.