# mere vs mess

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### mere
*adjective · IPA /mɪə̯/ · frequency rank #5,812*
Just, only; no more than, pure and simple, neither more nor better than might be expected.

### mess
*noun · IPA /mɛs/ · frequency rank #2,631*
a thing or group of things in a disagreeable, disorganised, or dirty state; hence a bad situation

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