metesvsmiesConfusable pair

Quick tell: metes is a verb, mies is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“metes” is a verb and “mies” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#10,534
“metes” frequency rank
#37,727
“mies” frequency rank
48261
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature metes mies
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de meter o de meterse. Cualquier espiga de cereal madura, lista para ser recolectada, de cuya semilla puede obtenerse harina para hacer pan, etc.

Where the eye mixes metes and mies

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. metes runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against mies's 4 (CVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
metes
4 ch
mies

Why the eye confuses metes with mies

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: metes is [ˈmet̪es] while mies is [ˈmjes]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48261, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

metes is recorded at frequency rank #10,534, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈmet̪es]. mies is at rank #37,727, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmjes].

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 48261, this pair ranks #115,446 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of metes vs mies

Shared letters: ems. Private to "metes": t. Private to "mies": i.

"metes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "mies" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • metes ← emtes · meets · metess · metse · mettes · mmetes · mtees
  • mies ← imes · meis · miess · mise · mmies

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "metes" and "mies" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "metes" is a verb and "mies" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "metes" vs "mies" - which ranks higher?
"metes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,534 in our Spanish list, against #37,727 for "mies". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "metes" and "mies" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "metes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "mies" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #115,446 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "metes" and "mies" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "makes vs mies". 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 #115,446 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