Which to use
“muerde” is a verb and “muerto” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,909
- “muerde” frequency rank
- #1,037
- “muerto” frequency rank
- 17946
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | muerde | muerto |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de morder. | Que no tiene vida, en sentido real o figurado. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set muerde and muerto apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: muerde is [ˈmweɾð̞e] while muerto is [ˈmweɾt̪o]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17946, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
muerde is recorded at frequency rank #16,909, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈmweɾð̞e]. muerto is at rank #1,037, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈmweɾt̪o].
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 17946, this pair ranks #269,967 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of muerde vs muerto
Shared letters: emru. Private to "muerde": d. Private to "muerto": ot.
"muerde" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV · "muerto" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "muerde" and "muerto" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "muerde" or "muerto"?
Remembering muerde vs muerto
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “muerde”; for an adjective, it's “muerto”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “muerde” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable