mimavsmínimaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: mima is a verb, mínima is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“mima” is a verb and “mínima” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#36,161
“mima” frequency rank
#3,800
“mínima” frequency rank
39961
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mima mínima
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de mimar. Forma del femenino de mínimo.

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
mima
6 ch
mínima

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mima is [ˈmima] while mínima is [ˈminima]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39961, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mima is recorded at frequency rank #36,161, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈmima]. mínima is at rank #3,800, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈminima].

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 39961, this pair ranks #161,707 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of mima vs mínima

Shared letters: aim. Private to "mima": -. Private to "mínima": .

"mima" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "mínima" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mimaimma · miam · mimma · mmia · mmima

Frequency comparison

mima#36,161
mínima#3,800

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mima" and "mínima" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mima" is a verb and "mínima" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "mima" or "mínima"?
"mínima" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,800 in our Spanish list, against #36,161 for "mima". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mima vs mínima

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “mima”; for an adjective, it's “mínima”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mima” 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