Which to use
“mat” and “muté” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,319
- “mat” frequency rank
- #24,292
- “muté” frequency rank
- 30611
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mat | muté |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui n’a pas d’éclat, qui ne réfléchit pas la lumière. Se dit surtout des objets de métal qui n’ont pas reçu le poli définitif ou auxquels on a donné une patine spéciale. | Se dit d’un vin dont la fermentation a été stoppée par l’ajout d’alcool ou d'acide sulfureux lui permettant ainsi de garder des sucres résiduels. |
Where the eye mixes mat and muté
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: mat vs muté
A purely visual mix-up. mat (\ma\) and muté (\my.te\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30611, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mat is recorded at frequency rank #6,319, classified as anadj, pronounced \ma\. muté is at rank #24,292, tagged as anadj, pronounced \my.te\.
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 30611, this pair ranks #309,117 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mat vs muté
Shared letters: mt. Private to "mat": a. Private to "muté": ué.
"mat" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "muté" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mat" and "muté" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "mat" vs "muté" - which ranks higher?
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 "mat" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "muté" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #309,117 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mat" and "muté" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mud vs muté". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #309,117 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.