# melee vs mule

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### melee
*noun · IPA /ˈmɛˌleɪ/ · frequency rank #21,859*
A battle fought at close range, (especially) one not involving ranged weapons; hand-to-hand combat; brawling.

### 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/melee-vs-mule