machavsmachiWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#45,428
“macha” frequency rank
#41,467
“machi” frequency rank
86895
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature macha machi
Definition (Mesodesma donacium) Molusco bivalvo comestible, semejante a una almeja de concha triangular. Habita la costa peruana y chilena en playas arenosas expuestas al oleaje del océano. Chamán entre los mapuches, que diagnostica y cura las enfermedades e invoca los espíritus.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set macha and machi apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
macha
5 ch
machi

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. macha ([ˈmat͡ʃa]) and machi ([ˈmat͡ʃi]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - a in “macha” becomes i in “machi”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 86895, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

macha is recorded at frequency rank #45,428, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmat͡ʃa]. machi is at rank #41,467, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmat͡ʃi].

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 86895, this pair ranks #4,931 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of macha vs machi

Shared letters: achm. Private to "macha": -. Private to "machi": i.

"macha" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "machi" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • machaamcha · macah · maccha · machha · mahca · mcaha · mmacha
  • machiamchi · macchi · machhi · macih · mahci · mcahi · mmachi

Frequency comparison

macha#45,428
machi#41,467

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "macha" and "machi" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmat͡ʃa] versus [ˈmat͡ʃi]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "macha" or "machi"?
"machi" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #41,467 in our Spanish list, against #45,428 for "macha". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering macha vs machi

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 “macha” 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