machivsmochoWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#41,467
“machi” frequency rank
#38,247
“mocho” frequency rank
79714
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature machi mocho
Definition Chamán entre los mapuches, que diagnostica y cura las enfermedades e invoca los espíritus. Carente del remate o punta adecuado para su estructura.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set machi and mocho apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
machi
5 ch
mocho

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: machi is [ˈmat͡ʃi] while mocho is [ˈmot͡ʃo]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 79714, 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]. mocho is at rank #38,247, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈmot͡ʃo].

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 79714, this pair ranks #12,642 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of machi vs mocho

Shared letters: chm. Private to "machi": ai. Private to "mocho": o.

"machi" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "mocho" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • machiamchi · macchi · machhi · macih · mahci · mcahi · mmachi
  • mochomcoho · mmocho · moccho · mochho · mocoh · mohco · omcho

Frequency comparison

machi#41,467
mocho#38,247

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "machi" and "mocho" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "machi" is a noun and "mocho" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "machi" or "mocho"?
"mocho" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #38,247 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 mocho

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “machi”; for an adjective, it's “mocho”.
  • 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list