Which to use
“medalla” and “mejilla” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,495
- “medalla” frequency rank
- #12,642
- “mejilla” frequency rank
- 16137
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | medalla | mejilla |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pieza metálica acuñada con algún emblema, figura o símbolo. | Parte de la cara del ser humano que está debajo de las sienes y ojos, y que se extiende de cada lado de la nariz hasta la barbilla cuya piel cierra lateralmente la boca. |
Where the eye mixes medalla and mejilla
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: medalla vs mejilla
A purely visual mix-up. medalla ([meˈð̞aʝa]) and mejilla ([meˈxiʝa]) 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 16137, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
medalla is recorded at frequency rank #3,495, classified as anoun, pronounced [meˈð̞aʝa]. mejilla is at rank #12,642, tagged as anoun, pronounced [meˈxiʝa].
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 16137, this pair ranks #277,371 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of medalla vs mejilla
Shared letters: aelm. Private to "medalla": d. Private to "mejilla": ij.
"medalla" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "mejilla" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "medalla" for "mejilla" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "medalla" or "mejilla" show up more?
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 "medalla" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mejilla" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #277,371 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "medalla" and "mejilla" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mejilla vs Mella". 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 #277,371 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.