Which to use
“mach” is a noun and “mau” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #35,130
- “mach” frequency rank
- #36,153
- “mau” frequency rank
- 71283
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mach | mau |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Malo |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mach and mau apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mach is [ˈmat͡ʃ] while mau is [ˈmaw]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71283, 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]. mau is at rank #36,153, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈmaw].
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 71283, this pair ranks #27,856 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of mach vs mau
Shared letters: am. Private to "mach": ch. Private to "mau": u.
"mach" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "mau" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- mach ← amch · macch · machh · mahc · mcah · mmach
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mach" and "mau" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mach" or "mau"?
Remembering mach vs mau
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 “mau”.
- 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