melavsmesConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#38,235
“mela” frequency rank
#403
“mes” frequency rank
38638
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mela mes
Definition Manzana. Cada una de las doce partes, de duración variable según el sistema pero similar al ciclo lunar, en que se divide el año.

Where the eye mixes mela and mes

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
mela
3 ch
mes

Look-alike desk: mela vs mes

A purely visual mix-up. mela ([ˈme.la]) and mes ([ˈmes]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38638, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mela is recorded at frequency rank #38,235, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈme.la]. mes is at rank #403, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmes].

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 38638, this pair ranks #168,910 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of mela vs mes

Shared letters: em. Private to "mela": al. Private to "mes": s.

"mela" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "mes" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • melaemla · meal · mlea · mmela

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "mela" and "mes" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈme.la] versus [ˈmes]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mela" or "mes"?
"mes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #403 in our Spanish list, against #38,235 for "mela". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "mela" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "mes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #168,910 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "mela" and "mes" 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 #168,910 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