machvsmaízWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“mach” and “maíz” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#35,130
“mach” frequency rank
#4,806
“maíz” frequency rank
39936
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mach maíz
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. (Zea mays) Planta anual, herbácea, de la familia de las poáceas, originaria de América y hoy cultivada en todo el mundo como alimento. Tiene tallos erectos, en forma de caña, de hasta 3 m de altura, hojas densamente apretadas que protegen las inflorescencias femeninas y un penacho terminal de flores masculinas. La espádice femenina se transforma en un fruto compuesto llamado mazorca, con los granos dispuestos en hileras sobre un eje leñoso

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
mach
4 ch
maíz

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. mach ([ˈmat͡ʃ]) and maíz ([maˈis]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39936, 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]. maíz is at rank #4,806, tagged as anoun, pronounced [maˈis].

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 39936, this pair ranks #161,835 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of mach vs maíz

Shared letters: am. Private to "mach": ch. Private to "maíz": .

"mach" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "maíz" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • machamch · macch · machh · mahc · mcah · mmach

Frequency comparison

mach#35,130
maíz#4,806

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mach" and "maíz" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmat͡ʃ] versus [maˈis]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mach" or "maíz"?
"maíz" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,806 in our Spanish list, against #35,130 for "mach". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mach vs maíz

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • 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