Which to use
“maten” and “mute” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,371
- “maten” frequency rank
- #44,883
- “mute” frequency rank
- 55254
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | maten | mute |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de matar o de matarse. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de mutar. |
Where the eye mixes maten and mute
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. maten runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against mute's 4 (CVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses maten with mute
A purely visual mix-up. maten ([ˈmat̪ẽn]) and mute ([ˈmut̪e]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55254, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
maten is recorded at frequency rank #10,371, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈmat̪ẽn]. mute is at rank #44,883, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈmut̪e].
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 55254, this pair ranks #79,715 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of maten vs mute
Shared letters: emt. Private to "maten": an. Private to "mute": u.
"maten" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "mute" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "maten" and "mute" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "maten" or "mute"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "maten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mute" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #79,715 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "maten" and "mute" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mur vs mute". 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 #79,715 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.