melavsmileWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#38,235
“mela” frequency rank
#36,160
“mile” frequency rank
74395
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mela mile
Definition Manzana. Milla.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mela and mile apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
mela
4 ch
mile

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. mela ([ˈme.la]) and mile (/maɪl/) 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 74395, 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]. mile is at rank #36,160, tagged as anoun, pronounced /maɪl/.

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 74395, this pair ranks #21,409 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of mela vs mile

Shared letters: elm. Private to "mela": a. Private to "mile": i.

"mela" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "mile" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • melaemla · meal · mlea · mmela
  • mileimle · mille · mlie · mmile

Frequency comparison

mela#38,235
mile#36,160

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mela" and "mile" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈme.la] versus /maɪl/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mela" or "mile"?
"mile" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,160 in our Spanish list, against #38,235 for "mela". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mela vs mile

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mela” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list