Which to use
“merced” is a noun and “merecen” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,152
- “merced” frequency rank
- #3,940
- “merecen” frequency rank
- 13092
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | merced | merecen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Premio o galardón que se da por el trabajo, especialmente al jornalero. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de merecer o de merecerse. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set merced and merecen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: merced is [meɾˈseð̞] while merecen is [meˈɾesẽn]. 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 13092, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
merced is recorded at frequency rank #9,152, classified as anoun, pronounced [meɾˈseð̞]. merecen is at rank #3,940, tagged as averb, pronounced [meˈɾesẽn].
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 13092, this pair ranks #289,182 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of merced vs merecen
Shared letters: cemr. Private to "merced": d. Private to "merecen": n.
"merced" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "merecen" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "merced" and "merecen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "merced" or "merecen"?
Remembering merced vs merecen
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “merced”; for a verb, it's “merecen”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “merced” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable