Which to use
“mau” is an adjective and “mur” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #36,153
- “mau” frequency rank
- #49,813
- “mur” frequency rank
- 85966
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mau | mur |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Malo | Ratón (roedor). |
Where the eye mixes mau and mur
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. mau (CVV) and mur (CVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between mau and mur
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mau is [ˈmaw] while mur is [ˈmuɾ]. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 85966, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mau is recorded at frequency rank #36,153, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈmaw]. mur is at rank #49,813, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmuɾ].
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 85966, this pair ranks #5,668 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of mau vs mur
Shared letters: mu. Private to "mau": a. Private to "mur": r.
"mau" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "mur" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mau" for "mur" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "mau" or "mur" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "mau" and "mur" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "mau" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mur" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #5,668 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mau" and "mur" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mop vs mur". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #5,668 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.