metanvsmeterWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#12,425
“metan” frequency rank
#3,130
“meter” frequency rank
15555
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature metan meter
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de meter o de meterse. Introducir.

Where the eye mixes metan and meter

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
metan
5 ch
meter

Look-alike desk: metan vs meter

A purely visual mix-up. metan ([ˈmet̪ãn]) and meter ([meˈt̪eɾ]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15555, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

metan is recorded at frequency rank #12,425, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈmet̪ãn]. meter is at rank #3,130, tagged as averb, pronounced [meˈt̪eɾ].

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 15555, this pair ranks #279,692 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of metan vs meter

Shared letters: emt. Private to "metan": an. Private to "meter": r.

"metan" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "meter" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • metanemtan · meatn · metann · metna · mettan · mmetan · mtean
  • meteremter · meetr · meterr · metre · metter · mmeter · mteer

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "metan" and "meter" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈmet̪ãn] versus [meˈt̪eɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "metan" or "meter"?
"meter" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,130 in our Spanish list, against #12,425 for "metan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "metan" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "meter" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #279,692 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "metan" and "meter" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "means vs metan". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #279,692 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list