Which to use
“mela” and “mili” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,235
- “mela” frequency rank
- #23,503
- “mili” frequency rank
- 61738
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mela | mili |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Manzana. | Forma coloquial de referirse al servicio militar o milicia. |
Where the eye mixes mela and mili
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. mela and mili follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: mela vs mili
A purely visual mix-up. mela ([ˈme.la]) and mili ([ˈmili]) 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 61738, 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]. mili is at rank #23,503, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmili].
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 61738, this pair ranks #54,396 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of mela vs mili
Shared letters: lm. Private to "mela": ae. Private to "mili": i.
"mela" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "mili" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mela" for "mili" ever safe?
Frequency check: "mela" vs "mili" - 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 "mela" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mili" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #54,396 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mela" and "mili" 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 #54,396 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.