madresvsmamesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,457
“madres” frequency rank
#12,862
“mames” frequency rank
15319
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature madres mames
Definition Forma del plural de madre. Forma del plural de mame.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
madres
5 ch
mames

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. madres ([ˈmað̞ɾes]) and mames ([ˈmames]) 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 15319, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

madres is recorded at frequency rank #2,457, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmað̞ɾes]. mames is at rank #12,862, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmames].

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 15319, this pair ranks #280,648 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of madres vs mames

Shared letters: aems. Private to "madres": dr. Private to "mames": -.

"madres" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "mames" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • madresamdres · maddres · maders · madress · madrres · madrse · mardes · mdares
  • mamesammes · maems · mamess · mammes · mamse · mmaes · mmames

Frequency comparison

madres#2,457
mames#12,862

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "madres" and "mames" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmað̞ɾes] versus [ˈmames]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "madres" or "mames"?
"madres" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,457 in our Spanish list, against #12,862 for "mames". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering madres vs mames

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 “madres” 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