matarvsmathWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: matar is a verb, math is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“matar” is a verb and “math” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,383
“matar” frequency rank
#48,531
“math” frequency rank
49914
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature matar math
Definition Quitar la vida. Matemáticas, abreviación de mathématiques .

Where the eye mixes matar and math

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

5 ch
matar
4 ch
math

Look-alike desk: matar vs math

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: matar is [maˈt̪aɾ] while math is /matø/. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49914, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

matar is recorded at frequency rank #1,383, classified as averb, pronounced [maˈt̪aɾ]. math is at rank #48,531, tagged as anoun, pronounced /matø/.

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 49914, this pair ranks #106,139 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of matar vs math

Shared letters: amt. Private to "matar": r. Private to "math": h.

"matar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "math" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mataramtar · maatr · matarr · matra · mattar · mmatar · mtaar
  • mathamth · maht · mathh · matth · mmath · mtah

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "matar" for "math" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "matar" is a verb and "math" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "matar" or "math"?
"matar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,383 in our Spanish list, against #48,531 for "math". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "matar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "math" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #106,139 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "matar" and "math" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "math vs month". 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 #106,139 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