matonesvsmayoresWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#17,203
“matones” frequency rank
#916
“mayores” frequency rank
18119
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature matones mayores
Definition Forma del plural de matón. Forma del plural de mayor.

Where the eye mixes matones and mayores

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. matones (CVCVCVC) and mayores (CVVVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

7 ch
matones
7 ch
mayores

Look-alike desk: matones vs mayores

A purely visual mix-up. matones ([maˈt̪ones]) and mayores ([maˈʝoɾes]) 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 18119, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

matones is recorded at frequency rank #17,203, classified as anadj, pronounced [maˈt̪ones]. mayores is at rank #916, tagged as anadj, pronounced [maˈʝoɾes].

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 18119, this pair ranks #269,263 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of matones vs mayores

Shared letters: aemos. Private to "matones": nt. Private to "mayores": ry.

"matones" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "mayores" · 7 letters · shape CVVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • matones ← amtones · maotnes · matnoes · matoens · matoness · matonnes · matonse · mattones
  • mayores ← amyores · maoyres · mayoers · mayoress · mayorres · mayorse · mayroes · mayyores

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "matones" for "mayores" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([maˈt̪ones] versus [maˈʝoɾes]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "matones" or "mayores"?
"mayores" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #916 in our Spanish list, against #17,203 for "matones". 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 "matones" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "mayores" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #269,263 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "matones" and "mayores" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mamones vs matones". 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 #269,263 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