Which to use
“mai” is an adverb and “mes” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,397
- “mai” frequency rank
- #403
- “mes” frequency rank
- 14800
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mai | mes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Jamás o nunca. | Cada una de las doce partes, de duración variable según el sistema pero similar al ciclo lunar, en que se divide el año. |
Where the eye mixes mai and mes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between mai and mes
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mai is [ˈmaj] while mes is [ˈmes]. 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 (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14800, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mai is recorded at frequency rank #14,397, classified as anadv, pronounced [ˈmaj]. mes is at rank #403, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmes].
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 14800, this pair ranks #282,675 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mai vs mes
Shared letters: m. Private to "mai": ai. Private to "mes": es.
"mai" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "mes" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "mai" and "mes" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "mai" vs "mes" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "mai" and "mes" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "mai" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #282,675 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mai" and "mes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mai vs mur". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #282,675 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.