Which to use
“mer” and “mes” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,067
- “mer” frequency rank
- #403
- “mes” frequency rank
- 21470
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mer | mes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Mar. | Cada una de las doce partes, de duración variable según el sistema pero similar al ciclo lunar, en que se divide el año. |
Where the eye mixes mer and mes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses mer with mes
A purely visual mix-up. mer ([mɛʁ]) and mes ([ˈmes]) 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 - r in “mer” becomes s in “mes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21470, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mer is recorded at frequency rank #21,067, classified as anoun, pronounced [mɛʁ]. mes is at rank #403, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmes].
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 21470, this pair ranks #254,803 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mer vs mes
Shared letters: em. Private to "mer": r. Private to "mes": s.
"mer" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "mes" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mer" and "mes" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "mer" vs "mes" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "mer" and "mes" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "mer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #254,803 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mer" and "mes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mer vs mur". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #254,803 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.