mecvsmercêWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#8,225
“mec” frequency rank
#14,186
“mercê” frequency rank
22411
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mec mercê
Definition tranquilo paga, soldada, preço ou recompensa por algum trabalho ou serviço

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mec and mercê apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
mec
5 ch
mercê

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: mec is anadjective and mercêanoun. On the page they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22411, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mec is recorded at frequency rank #8,225, classified as anadj. mercê is at rank #14,186, tagged as anoun.

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 22411, this pair ranks #47,638 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of mec vs mercê

Shared letters: cem. Private to "mec": -. Private to "mercê": .

"mec" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "mercê" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Frequency comparison

mec#8,225
mercê#14,186

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mec" and "mercê" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mec" is an adjective and "mercê" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "mec" or "mercê"?
"mec" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,225 in our Portuguese list, against #14,186 for "mercê". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mec vs mercê

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “mec”; for a noun, it's “mercê”.
  • 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