memvsmerConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#44,311
“mem” frequency rank
#21,067
“mer” frequency rank
65378
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mem mer
Definition Decimotercera letra del alfabeto hebreo Mar.

Where the eye mixes mem and mer

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. mem and mer follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

3 ch
mem
3 ch
mer

Why the eye confuses mem with mer

A purely visual mix-up. mem ([ˈmẽm]) and mer ([mɛʁ]) 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 a single letter - m in “mem” becomes r in “mer”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65378, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mem is recorded at frequency rank #44,311, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈmẽm]. mer is at rank #21,067, tagged as anoun, pronounced [mɛʁ].

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 65378, this pair ranks #42,804 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of mem vs mer

Shared letters: em. Private to "mem": -. Private to "mer": r.

"mem" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "mer" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "mem" for "mer" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmẽm] versus [mɛʁ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "mem" vs "mer" - which ranks higher?
"mer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,067 in our Spanish list, against #44,311 for "mem". 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 "mem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "mer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #42,804 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "mem" and "mer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mem vs mur". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #42,804 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