matastevsmirasteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#30,148
“mataste” frequency rank
#44,318
“miraste” frequency rank
74466
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mataste miraste
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de matar o de matarse. Segunda persona del singular (tú, vos) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de mirar o de mirarse.

Where the eye mixes mataste and miraste

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. mataste and miraste follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

7 ch
mataste
7 ch
miraste

Visual trap between mataste and miraste

A purely visual mix-up. mataste ([maˈt̪ast̪e]) and miraste ([miˈɾast̪e]) 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 74466, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mataste is recorded at frequency rank #30,148, classified as averb, pronounced [maˈt̪ast̪e]. miraste is at rank #44,318, tagged as averb, pronounced [miˈɾast̪e].

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 74466, this pair ranks #21,269 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of mataste vs miraste

Shared letters: aemst. Private to "mataste": -. Private to "miraste": ir.

"mataste" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "miraste" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mataste ← amtaste · maatste · mataset · matasste · matastte · matatse · matsate · mattaste
  • miraste ← imraste · miarste · miraset · mirasste · mirastte · miratse · mirraste · mirsate

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "mataste" and "miraste" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([maˈt̪ast̪e] versus [miˈɾast̪e]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "mataste" vs "miraste" - which ranks higher?
"mataste" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #30,148 in our Spanish list, against #44,318 for "miraste". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "mataste" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "miraste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #21,269 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "mataste" and "miraste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "miraste vs mírate". 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 #21,269 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