Which to use
“mate” is a noun and “metí” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,719
- “mate” frequency rank
- #11,452
- “metí” frequency rank
- 15171
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mate | metí |
|---|---|---|
| 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). | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de meter o de meterse. |
Where the eye mixes mate and metí
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses mate with metí
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mate is [ˈmat̪e] while metí is [meˈt̪i]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15171, 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]. metí is at rank #11,452, tagged as averb, pronounced [meˈt̪i].
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 15171, this pair ranks #281,237 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mate vs metí
Shared letters: emt. Private to "mate": a. Private to "metí": í.
"mate" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "metí" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- mate ← amte · maet · matte · mmate · mtae
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "mate" and "metí" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "mate" or "metí"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "mate" and "metí" 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 "metí" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #281,237 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mate" and "metí" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "math vs metí". 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 #281,237 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.