mantelvsmantraWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#30,996
“mantel” frequency rank
#27,297
“mantra” frequency rank
58293
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mantel mantra
Definition Pieza de tela u otro material que se pone sobre la mesa y debajo de los platos y cubiertos. Salmo, himno o plegaria en verso tomada de los Vedas hindúes.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
mantel
6 ch
mantra

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. mantel ([mãn̪ˈt̪el]) and mantra ([ˈmãn̪t̪ɾa]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58293, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mantel is recorded at frequency rank #30,996, classified as anoun, pronounced [mãn̪ˈt̪el]. mantra is at rank #27,297, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmãn̪t̪ɾa].

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 58293, this pair ranks #67,006 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of mantel vs mantra

Shared letters: amnt. Private to "mantel": el. Private to "mantra": r.

"mantel" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "mantra" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mantelamntel · manetl · manntel · mantell · mantle · manttel · matnel · mmantel
  • mantraamntra · manntra · manrta · mantar · mantrra · manttra · matnra · mmantra

Frequency comparison

mantel#30,996
mantra#27,297

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mantel" and "mantra" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([mãn̪ˈt̪el] versus [ˈmãn̪t̪ɾa]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mantel" or "mantra"?
"mantra" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,297 in our Spanish list, against #30,996 for "mantel". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mantel vs mantra

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 “mantel” 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