Which to use
“makes” is a verb and “mate” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #49,124
- “makes” frequency rank
- #3,719
- “mate” frequency rank
- 52843
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | makes | mate |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Hace, Presente del modo indicativo para la tercera persona del singular del verbo make. | Infusión de yerba mate consumida como bebida estimulante. Tradicionalmente, se sirve en un pote hecho de calabaza seca y se bebe con una bombilla metálica. Es común en la gastronomía de Argentina, Brasil, Paraguay, Uruguay y Bolivia (Tarija). |
Where the eye mixes makes and mate
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses makes with mate
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: makes is /meɪks/ while mate is [ˈmat̪e]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52843, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
makes is recorded at frequency rank #49,124, classified as averb, pronounced /meɪks/. mate is at rank #3,719, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmat̪e].
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 52843, this pair ranks #90,738 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of makes vs mate
Shared letters: aem. Private to "makes": ks. Private to "mate": t.
"makes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "mate" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "makes" for "mate" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "makes" or "mate" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "makes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mate" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #90,738 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "makes" and "mate" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "makes vs Marks". 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 #90,738 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.