mapasvsmaresConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#5,635
“mapas” frequency rank
#10,529
“mares” frequency rank
16164
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mapas mares
Definition Forma del plural de mapa. Forma del plural de mar.

Where the eye mixes mapas and mares

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

5 ch
mapas
5 ch
mares

Look-alike desk: mapas vs mares

A purely visual mix-up. mapas ([ˈmapas]) and mares ([ˈmaɾes]) 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 16164, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mapas is recorded at frequency rank #5,635, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmapas]. mares is at rank #10,529, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmaɾes].

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 16164, this pair ranks #277,263 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of mapas vs mares

Shared letters: ams. Private to "mapas": p. Private to "mares": er.

"mapas" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "mares" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mapasampas · maaps · mapass · mappas · mapsa · mmapas · mpaas
  • maresamres · maers · maress · marres · marse · mmares · mraes

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mapas" and "mares" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmapas] versus [ˈmaɾes]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mapas" or "mares"?
"mapas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,635 in our Spanish list, against #10,529 for "mares". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "mapas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "mares" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #277,263 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "mapas" and "mares" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "makes vs mares". 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 #277,263 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