Which to use
“mal” is a noun and “muy” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #193
- “mal” frequency rank
- #46
- “muy” frequency rank
- 239
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mal | muy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Carencia de bondad. | Expresa grado intenso, extenso o de abundancia de la característica del adjetivo o adverbio al que precede y es caracterizado como un adverbio de cantidad o modo.. |
Where the eye mixes mal and muy
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mal is [ˈmal] while muy is [ˈmuj]. 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 adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 239, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mal is recorded at frequency rank #193, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmal]. muy is at rank #46, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ˈmuj].
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 239, this pair ranks #323,630 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mal vs muy
Shared letters: m. Private to "mal": al. Private to "muy": uy.
"mal" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "muy" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mal" and "muy" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mal" or "muy"?
What to do next
You've compared "mal" and "muy". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "mal" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "muy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #323,630 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mal" and "muy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mal vs mur". Nearby pair
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.