Which to use
“mercado” and “merced” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #590
- “mercado” frequency rank
- #9,152
- “merced” frequency rank
- 9742
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mercado | merced |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Sitio o edificio destinado a la compraventa de bienes y servicios. | Premio o galardón que se da por el trabajo, especialmente al jornalero. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mercado and merced apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. mercado ([meɾˈkað̞o]) and merced ([meɾˈseð̞]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9742, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mercado is recorded at frequency rank #590, classified as anoun, pronounced [meɾˈkað̞o]. merced is at rank #9,152, tagged as anoun, pronounced [meɾˈseð̞].
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 9742, this pair ranks #300,966 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mercado vs merced
Shared letters: cdemr. Private to "mercado": ao. Private to "merced": -.
"mercado" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "merced" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mercado" and "merced" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "mercado" or "merced"?
Remembering mercado vs merced
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mercado” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable