merecevsméteteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“merece” and “métete” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#1,865
“merece” frequency rank
#34,227
“métete” frequency rank
36092
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature merece métete
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de merecer o de merecerse. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del imperativo afirmativo de meterse (con el pronombre enclítico).

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
merece
6 ch
métete

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. merece ([meˈɾese]) and métete ([ˈmet̪et̪e]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36092, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

merece is recorded at frequency rank #1,865, classified as averb, pronounced [meˈɾese]. métete is at rank #34,227, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈmet̪et̪e].

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 36092, this pair ranks #182,516 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of merece vs métete

Shared letters: em. Private to "merece": cr. Private to "métete": .

"merece" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "métete" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mereceemrece · meerce · mercee · merecce · mereec · merese · merrece · mmerece

Frequency comparison

merece#1,865
métete#34,227

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "merece" and "métete" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([meˈɾese] versus [ˈmet̪et̪e]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "merece" or "métete"?
"merece" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,865 in our Spanish list, against #34,227 for "métete". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering merece vs métete

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 “merece” 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