mensvsmentíWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: mens is a noun, mentí is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“mens” is a noun and “mentí” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#43,127
“mens” frequency rank
#39,858
“mentí” frequency rank
82985
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mens mentí
Definition Mente, alma, espíritu. Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de mentir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mens and mentí apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
mens
5 ch
mentí

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mens is /ˈmens/ while mentí is [mẽn̪ˈt̪i]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 82985, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mens is recorded at frequency rank #43,127, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈmens/. mentí is at rank #39,858, tagged as averb, pronounced [mẽn̪ˈt̪i].

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 82985, this pair ranks #8,624 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of mens vs mentí

Shared letters: emn. Private to "mens": s. Private to "mentí": .

"mens" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "mentí" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mensemns · menns · menss · mesn · mmens · mnes

Frequency comparison

mens#43,127
mentí#39,858

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mens" and "mentí" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mens" is a noun and "mentí" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "mens" or "mentí"?
"mentí" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #39,858 in our Spanish list, against #43,127 for "mens". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mens vs mentí

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “mens”; for a verb, it's “mentí”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mens” 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