mecvsmeinWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: mec is a adjective, mein is a pronoun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“mec” is an adjective and “mein” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#8,225
“mec” frequency rank
#36,545
“mein” frequency rank
44770
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mec mein
Definition tranquilo meu, minha, pronome possessivo da primeira pessoa do singular:

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mec and mein apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
mec
4 ch
mein

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: mec is anadjective and meinapronoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44770, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mec is recorded at frequency rank #8,225, classified as anadj. mein is at rank #36,545, tagged as apron, pronounced /maɪ̯n/ ouvir^(fonte ?).

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 44770, this pair ranks #20,663 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of mec vs mein

Shared letters: em. Private to "mec": c. Private to "mein": in.

"mec" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "mein" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • meinemin · meinn · meni · mmein

Frequency comparison

mec#8,225
mein#36,545

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mec" and "mein" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mec" is an adjective and "mein" a pronoun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "mec" or "mein"?
"mec" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,225 in our Portuguese list, against #36,545 for "mein". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mec vs mein

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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