Which to use
“mate” is a noun and “mete” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,719
- “mate” frequency rank
- #4,923
- “mete” frequency rank
- 8642
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mate | mete |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Infusión de yerba mate consumida como bebida estimulante. Tradicionalmente, se sirve en un pote hecho de calabaza seca y se bebe con una bombilla metálica. Es común en la gastronomía de Argentina, Brasil, Paraguay, Uruguay y Bolivia (Tarija). | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de meter o de meterse. |
Where the eye mixes mate and mete
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between mate and mete
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mate is [ˈmat̪e] while mete is [ˈmet̪e]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - a in “mate” becomes e in “mete”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8642, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mate is recorded at frequency rank #3,719, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmat̪e]. mete is at rank #4,923, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈmet̪e].
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 8642, this pair ranks #304,407 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mate vs mete
Shared letters: emt. Private to "mate": a. Private to "mete": -.
"mate" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "mete" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mate" for "mete" ever safe?
Which is more common, "mate" or "mete"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "mate" and "mete" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "mate" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mete" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #304,407 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mate" and "mete" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "math vs mete". 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 #304,407 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.