mate

[ˈmat̪e]

/[ˈmat̪e]/ noun

The verdict

“mate” has 5 generated spelling variants in the Spanish index at frequency #3,719. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,719
frequency rank, Spanish
3,868
“M” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Infusión de yerba mate consumida como bebida estimulante. Tradicionalmente, se sirve en un pote hecho de calabaza seca y se bebe con una bombilla metálica. Es común en la gastronomía de Argentina, ...

Corpus desk

Index ES-mate · mate · Spanish

mate · rank #3,719 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,719
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,868
  • PHOTO-FINISH maravilloso

Nearest frequency peer: maravilloso (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “mate”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “mate” sits against the nearest ranked Spanish headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

mate vs max
50% similar
mate vs may
50% similar
mate vs mit
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for mate
PropertyValue
Headwordmate
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈmat̪e]
Letters4
Frequency rank#3,719
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Dónde se sitúa “mate” en la frecuencia del español

De izquierda a derecha: las pocas palabras que cargan el habla diaria, luego la cola larga casi invisible.matecae aquí:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

La escala es logarítmica (cada marca ≈ 10× más rara). En la misma franja de rareza aparecen “maravilloso” (#3,718), “menciona” (#3,720), “manual” (#3,717). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around mate (IPA [ˈmat̪e]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,719 among 3,868 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for mate, with forms such as "amte", "maet", and "matte". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "max", "may", "mit", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct Spanish form is mate, spelled M-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Infusión de yerba mate consumida como bebida estimulante. Tradicionalmente, se sirve en un pote hecho de calabaza seca y se bebe con una bombilla metálica. Es común en la gastronomía de Argentina, Brasil, Paraguay, Uruguay y Bolivia (Tarija).
  2. 2
    Por extensión, bebida obtenida de remojar en agua cualquier hierba aromática.
  3. 3
    Recipiente elaborado a partir de una calabaza, de asta, metal u otro material donde se toma la infusión.
  4. 4
    (Lagenaria siceraria) Planta de la familia de las Cucurbitáceas, cuyas calabazas son usadas para crear vasos para tomar mate₁.
  5. 5
    Cabeza (parte corporal).
  6. 6
    Por metonimia, capacidad de pensamiento y de juicio.
  7. 7
    Semilla o poroto con que juegan los muchachos.^([cita requerida]).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how mate appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Ya no es la papusa del barrio latino, ya no es la mistonga florcita de lis; ya nada le queda, ni aquel argentino que entre mate y mate la alzó de Paris.
  2. Adentro de las casas de todas las clases sociales también se masca y se toma mate de coca, un extraordinario remedio para el apunamiento.

Synonyms

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • amte
  • maet
  • matte
  • mmate
  • mtae

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of mate - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

amte2maet2matte1mmate1mtae2
Edit distance from "mate"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 Spanish corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "mate"?
"mate" is spelled M-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈmat̪e].
What does "mate" mean?
As a noun, "mate" means: Infusión de yerba mate consumida como bebida estimulante. Tradicionalmente, se sirve en un pote hecho de calabaza seca y se bebe con una bombilla metálica. Es común en la gastronomía de Argentina, ...
What words are commonly confused with "mate"?
"mate" is commonly confused with "max", "may", "mit". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "mate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "mate" is [ˈmat̪e]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "mate" come from?
"mate" is a Spanish word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar Spanish words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "mate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked Spanish headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).

What to do next

You've looked up "mate". Here's where to go from here.

  • "mate" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "max". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #3,719 among Spanish headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more Spanish words in the "M" letter cohort. M–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list