Which to use
“mean” is a verb and “mela” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,352
- “mean” frequency rank
- #38,235
- “mela” frequency rank
- 63587
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mean | mela |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de mear. | Manzana. |
Where the eye mixes mean and mela
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: mean vs mela
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mean is [ˈmeãn] while mela is [ˈme.la]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63587, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mean is recorded at frequency rank #25,352, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈmeãn]. mela is at rank #38,235, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈme.la].
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 63587, this pair ranks #48,273 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of mean vs mela
Shared letters: aem. Private to "mean": n. Private to "mela": l.
"mean" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "mela" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mean" for "mela" ever safe?
Frequency check: "mean" vs "mela" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "mean" and "mela" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "mean" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mela" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #48,273 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mean" and "mela" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mela vs melaza". 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 #48,273 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.