Which to use
“máquina” is a noun and “mezquina” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,356
- “máquina” frequency rank
- #44,315
- “mezquina” frequency rank
- 46671
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | máquina | mezquina |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Aparato compuesto de varias partes que interactúan para la ejecución de determinada tarea que requiere cierta energía. | Forma del femenino de mezquino. |
Where the eye mixes máquina and mezquina
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. máquina runs 7 letters (CVCVVCV) against mezquina's 8 (CVCCVVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses máquina with mezquina
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: máquina is [ˈmakina] while mezquina is [mesˈkina]. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46671, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
máquina is recorded at frequency rank #2,356, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmakina]. mezquina is at rank #44,315, tagged as anadj, pronounced [mesˈkina].
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 46671, this pair ranks #124,443 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of máquina vs mezquina
Shared letters: aimnqu. Private to "máquina": á. Private to "mezquina": ez.
"máquina" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCV · "mezquina" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- mezquina ← emzquina · meqzuina · mezqiuna · mezqquina · mezquian · mezquinna · mezqunia · mezuqina
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "máquina" and "mezquina" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "máquina" or "mezquina"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "máquina" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mezquina" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #124,443 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "máquina" and "mezquina" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Marquina vs mezquina". 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 #124,443 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.