mamesvsmesWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#12,862
“mames” frequency rank
#403
“mes” frequency rank
13265
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mames mes
Definition Forma del plural de mame. 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 mames and mes

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
mames
3 ch
mes

Look-alike desk: mames vs mes

A purely visual mix-up. mames ([ˈmames]) and mes ([ˈmes]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “mes” sits inside “mames”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13265, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mames is recorded at frequency rank #12,862, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmames]. 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 13265, this pair ranks #288,485 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of mames vs mes

Shared letters: ems. Private to "mames": a. Private to "mes": -.

"mames" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "mes" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mamesammes · maems · mamess · mammes · mamse · mmaes · mmames

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "mames" for "mes" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmames] versus [ˈmes]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "mames" or "mes" show up more?
"mes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #403 in our Spanish list, against #12,862 for "mames". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "mames" 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 #288,485 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "mames" and "mes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mames vs mamones". 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 #288,485 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list