metesvsmutisWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#10,534
“metes” frequency rank
#37,742
“mutis” frequency rank
48276
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature metes mutis
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de meter o de meterse. Acción y efecto de salir de escena

Where the eye mixes metes and mutis

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

5 ch
metes
5 ch
mutis

Why the eye confuses metes with mutis

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: metes is [ˈmet̪es] while mutis is [ˈmut̪is]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48276, 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]. mutis is at rank #37,742, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈmut̪is].

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 48276, this pair ranks #115,367 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of metes vs mutis

Shared letters: mst. Private to "metes": e. Private to "mutis": iu.

"metes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "mutis" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • metesemtes · meets · metess · metse · mettes · mmetes · mtees
  • mutismmutis · mtuis · muits · mutiss · mutsi · muttis · umtis

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "metes" for "mutis" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "metes" is a verb and "mutis" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "metes" vs "mutis" - which ranks higher?
"metes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,534 in our Spanish list, against #37,742 for "mutis". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "metes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "mutis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #115,367 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "metes" and "mutis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mantis vs mutis". 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 #115,367 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