millónvsmisiónWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,217
“millón” frequency rank
#1,323
“misión” frequency rank
3540
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature millón misión
Definition Cantidad igual a mil millares, 1 000 000, 10⁶. Encargo especial que se da a uno para que desempeñe algún negocio.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set millón and misión apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
millón
6 ch
misión

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. millón ([miˈʝõn]) and misión ([miˈsjõn]) 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 3540, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

millón is recorded at frequency rank #2,217, classified as anoun, pronounced [miˈʝõn]. misión is at rank #1,323, tagged as anoun, pronounced [miˈsjõn].

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 3540, this pair ranks #318,097 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of millón vs misión

Shared letters: imnó. Private to "millón": l. Private to "misión": s.

"millón" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "misión" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC

Frequency comparison

millón#2,217
misión#1,323

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "millón" and "misión" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([miˈʝõn] versus [miˈsjõn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "millón" or "misión"?
"misión" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,323 in our Spanish list, against #2,217 for "millón". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering millón vs misión

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 “millón” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list