Which to use
“mink” is a noun and “mun” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #23,904
- “mink” frequency rank
- #28,631
- “mun” frequency rank
- 52535
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mink | mun |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Any semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammal in the Mustelinae subfamily, similar to weasels, with dark fur, native to Europe and America, of which two species in different genera are extant: the American mink (Neogale vison) and the European mink (Mustela lutreola). | Must. |
Where the eye mixes mink and mun
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between mink and mun
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mink is /mɪŋk/ while mun is /mʌn/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52535, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mink is recorded at frequency rank #23,904, classified as anoun, pronounced /mɪŋk/. mun is at rank #28,631, tagged as averb, pronounced /mʌn/.
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 52535, this pair ranks #156,220 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mink vs mun
Shared letters: mn. Private to "mink": ik. Private to "mun": u.
"mink" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "mun" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- mink ← imnk · mikn · minkk · minnk · mmink · mnik
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mink" and "mun" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "mink" vs "mun" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mink" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mun" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #156,220 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mink" and "mun" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "MMP vs mun". 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 #156,220 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.