Which to use
“mem” and “modem” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,499
- “mem” frequency rank
- #17,186
- “modem” frequency rank
- 49685
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mem | modem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The thirteenth letter of many Semitic alphabets/abjads (Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic and others). | A device that encodes digital computer signals into analog telephone signals and vice versa, allowing computers to communicate over a phone line. |
Where the eye mixes mem and modem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: mem vs modem
A purely visual mix-up. mem (/mɛm/) and modem (/ˈməʊdəm/) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49685, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mem is recorded at frequency rank #32,499, classified as anoun, pronounced /mɛm/. modem is at rank #17,186, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈməʊdəm/.
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 49685, this pair ranks #181,300 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mem vs modem
Shared letters: em. Private to "mem": -. Private to "modem": do.
"mem" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "modem" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- modem ← mdoem · mmodem · moddem · modemm · modme · moedm · omdem
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "mem" and "modem" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "mem" or "modem"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "modem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #181,300 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mem" and "modem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mem 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 #181,300 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.