mensvsmeteWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#43,127
“mens” frequency rank
#4,923
“mete” frequency rank
48050
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mens mete
Definition Mente, alma, espíritu. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de meter o de meterse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
mens
4 ch
mete

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mens is /ˈmens/ while mete is [ˈmet̪e]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48050, 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/. mete is at rank #4,923, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈmet̪e].

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 48050, this pair ranks #116,611 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of mens vs mete

Shared letters: em. Private to "mens": ns. Private to "mete": t.

"mens" · 4 letters · shape CVCC  ·  "mete" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mensemns · menns · menss · mesn · mmens · mnes
  • meteemte · mette · mmete · mtee

Frequency comparison

mens#43,127
mete#4,923

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mens" and "mete" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mens" is a noun and "mete" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "mens" or "mete"?
"mete" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,923 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 mete

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 “mete”.
  • 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