Which to use
“mec” is an adjective and “mel” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,225
- “mec” frequency rank
- #2,843
- “mel” frequency rank
- 11068
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mec | mel |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | tranquilo | substância doce, espessa e viscosa elaborada pelas abelhas nas colmeias |
Letter map: mec vs mel
Shared letters muted; letters that set mec and mel apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.
Grammar separator: mec vs mel
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: mec is anadjective and melanoun. On the page they differ by a single letter - c in “mec” becomes l in “mel”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11068, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mec is recorded at frequency rank #8,225, classified as anadj. mel is at rank #2,843, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɛɫ/.
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 11068, this pair ranks #61,869 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of mec vs mel
Shared letters: em. Private to "mec": c. Private to "mel": l.
"mec" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "mel" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mec" for "mel" ever safe?
Frequency check: "mec" vs "mel" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pair "mec" vs "mel" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "mec" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mel" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #61,869 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mec" and "mel" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "maa vs mec". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #61,869 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.