Which to use
“Macías” and “Maciel” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #27,294
- “Macías” frequency rank
- #32,282
- “Maciel” frequency rank
- 59576
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Macías | Maciel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Apellido. | Apellido. |
Where the eye mixes Macías and Maciel
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Macías vs Maciel
A purely visual mix-up. Macías ([maˈsias]) and Maciel ([maˈsjel]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59576, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Macías is recorded at frequency rank #27,294, classified as aname, pronounced [maˈsias]. Maciel is at rank #32,282, tagged as aname, pronounced [maˈsjel].
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 59576, this pair ranks #62,103 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Macías vs Maciel
Shared letters: acm. Private to "Macías": sí. Private to "Maciel": eil.
"Macías" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "Maciel" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Maciel ← amciel · macciel · maceil · maciell · macile · maicel · masiel · mcaiel
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Macías" for "Maciel" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Macías" vs "Maciel" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Macías" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Maciel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #62,103 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Macías" and "Maciel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Maciel vs Martel". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #62,103 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.