Which to use
“mens” and “mer” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #47,487
- “mens” frequency rank
- #22,090
- “mer” frequency rank
- 69577
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mens | mer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | pessoa, humano, homem | mar |
Where the eye mixes mens and mer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between mens and mer
A purely visual mix-up. mens ([ mɛns ]) and mer (/mɛʁ/) 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 69577, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mens is recorded at frequency rank #47,487, classified as anoun, pronounced [ mɛns ]. mer is at rank #22,090, tagged as anoun, pronounced /mɛʁ/.
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 69577, this pair ranks #3,906 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of mens vs mer
Shared letters: em. Private to "mens": ns. Private to "mer": r.
"mens" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "mer" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- mens ← emns · menns · menss · mesn · mmens · mnes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mens" and "mer" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "mens" vs "mer" - 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 "mens" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "mer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #3,906 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mens" and "mer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mens vs messe". 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 #3,906 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.