Which to use
“mails” is a noun and “mis” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,725
- “mails” frequency rank
- #339
- “mis” frequency rank
- 8064
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mails | mis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de mail. | Participe passé masculin de mettre. |
Where the eye mixes mails and mis
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses mails with mis
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: mails is \maj\ while mis is \mi\. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8064, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mails is recorded at frequency rank #7,725, classified as anoun, pronounced \maj\. mis is at rank #339, tagged as averb, pronounced \mi\.
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 8064, this pair ranks #421,242 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mails vs mis
Shared letters: ims. Private to "mails": al. Private to "mis": -.
"mails" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC · "mis" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- mails ← amils · maills · mailss · maisl · malis · mials · mmails
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mails" for "mis" ever safe?
Which is more common, "mails" or "mis"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mails" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #421,242 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mails" and "mis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maid vs mails". 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 #421,242 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.