machivsmachosWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#41,467
“machi” frequency rank
#9,677
“machos” frequency rank
51144
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature machi machos
Definition Chamán entre los mapuches, que diagnostica y cura las enfermedades e invoca los espíritus. Forma del plural de macho.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
machi
6 ch
machos

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. machi ([ˈmat͡ʃi]) and machos ([ˈmat͡ʃos]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51144, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

machi is recorded at frequency rank #41,467, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmat͡ʃi]. machos is at rank #9,677, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmat͡ʃos].

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 51144, this pair ranks #99,445 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of machi vs machos

Shared letters: achm. Private to "machi": i. Private to "machos": os.

"machi" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "machos" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • machiamchi · macchi · machhi · macih · mahci · mcahi · mmachi
  • machosamchos · macchos · machhos · machoss · machso · macohs · mahcos · mcahos

Frequency comparison

machi#41,467
machos#9,677

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "machi" and "machos" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmat͡ʃi] versus [ˈmat͡ʃos]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "machi" or "machos"?
"machos" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,677 in our Spanish list, against #41,467 for "machi". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering machi vs machos

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 “machi” 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