Which to use
“mec” and “mecha” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,809
- “mec” frequency rank
- #19,797
- “mecha” frequency rank
- 58606
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mec | mecha |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Hombre enérgico. | Cuerda preparada para arder de distintas maneras, usada en velas o explosivos. |
Where the eye mixes mec and mecha
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. mec runs 3 letters (CVC) against mecha's 5 (CVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between mec and mecha
A purely visual mix-up. mec ([mɛk]) and mecha ([ˈmet͡ʃa]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “mec” sits inside “mecha”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58606, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mec is recorded at frequency rank #38,809, classified as anoun, pronounced [mɛk]. mecha is at rank #19,797, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmet͡ʃa].
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 58606, this pair ranks #65,845 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of mec vs mecha
Shared letters: cem. Private to "mec": -. Private to "mecha": ah.
"mec" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "mecha" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- mecha ← emcha · mceha · mecah · meccha · mechha · mehca · mmecha
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mec" for "mecha" ever safe?
Frequency check: "mec" vs "mecha" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mec" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mecha" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #65,845 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mec" and "mecha" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mec vs mur". 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 #65,845 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.