Which to use
“mec” is a noun and “meu” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,809
- “mec” frequency rank
- #44,860
- “meu” frequency rank
- 83669
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mec | meu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Hombre enérgico. | Mi. |
Where the eye mixes mec and meu
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. mec (CVC) and meu (CVV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: mec vs meu
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mec is [mɛk] while meu is [ˈmew]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - c in “mec” becomes u in “meu”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 83669, 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]. meu is at rank #44,860, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈmew].
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 83669, this pair ranks #7,883 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of mec vs meu
Shared letters: em. Private to "mec": c. Private to "meu": u.
"mec" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "meu" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mec" for "meu" ever safe?
Frequency check: "mec" vs "meu" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
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 "meu" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #7,883 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mec" and "meu" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "meu vs mur". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #7,883 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.