machvsmadWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: mach is a noun, mad is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“mach” is a noun and “mad” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#35,130
“mach” frequency rank
#14,642
“mad” frequency rank
49772
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mach mad
Definition Medida de velocidad relativa que se define como el cociente entre la velocidad de un objeto y la velocidad del sonido en el medio en que se mueve dicho objeto. Grafía alternativa de mat.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mach and mad apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
mach
3 ch
mad

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

mach and mad form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49772, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mach is recorded at frequency rank #35,130, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmat͡ʃ]. mad is at rank #14,642, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈmɑːt/.

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 49772, this pair ranks #106,903 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

mach#35,130
mad#14,642

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mach" and "mad" be used interchangeably?
No, "mach" and "mad" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering mach vs mad

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “mach”; for an adjective, it's “mad”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mach” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list