memvsmódemWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#44,311
“mem” frequency rank
#26,541
“módem” frequency rank
70852
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mem módem
Definition Decimotercera letra del alfabeto hebreo Dispositivo que permite la comunicación entre dos ordenadores usando una línea telefónica. Al ser el ordenador un sistema digital y las líneas telefónicas convencionales analógicas, en primer lugar el módem del ordenador que envía la información ha de convertir en analógicas las señales digitales (modulación), para que sean transmitidas por la línea telefónica hasta el ordenador de destino, cuyo módem deberá reconvertirlas en digitales (demodulación).

Where the eye mixes mem and módem

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. mem runs 3 letters (CVC) against módem's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

3 ch
mem
5 ch
módem

Look-alike desk: mem vs módem

A purely visual mix-up. mem ([ˈmẽm]) and módem ([ˈmoð̞ẽm]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70852, 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]. módem is at rank #26,541, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmoð̞ẽm].

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 70852, this pair ranks #28,771 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of mem vs módem

Shared letters: em. Private to "mem": -. Private to "módem": dó.

"mem" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "módem" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "mem" and "módem" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmẽm] versus [ˈmoð̞ẽm]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mem" or "módem"?
"módem" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,541 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.

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 "mem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "módem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #28,771 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "mem" and "módem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mem vs mur". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #28,771 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