mecvsmixConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#38,809
“mec” frequency rank
#14,406
“mix” frequency rank
53215
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mec mix
Definition Hombre enérgico. Combinación, mezcla.

Where the eye mixes mec and mix

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch
mec
3 ch
mix

Why the eye confuses mec with mix

A purely visual mix-up. mec ([mɛk]) and mix ([ˈmiks]) 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 53215, 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]. mix is at rank #14,406, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmiks].

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 53215, this pair ranks #88,964 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of mec vs mix

Shared letters: m. Private to "mec": ce. Private to "mix": ix.

"mec" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "mix" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "mec" for "mix" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([mɛk] versus [ˈmiks]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "mec" vs "mix" - which ranks higher?
"mix" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,406 in our Spanish list, against #38,809 for "mec". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "mec" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "mix" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #88,964 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "mec" and "mix" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mec vs mur". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #88,964 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