mervsmexerWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: mer is a noun, mexer is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“mer” is a noun and “mexer” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#22,090
“mer” frequency rank
#3,498
“mexer” frequency rank
25588
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mer mexer
Definition mar misturar, agitar, revolver

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch
mer
5 ch
mexer

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: mer is anoun and mexeraverb. On the page they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25588, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mer is recorded at frequency rank #22,090, classified as anoun, pronounced /mɛʁ/. mexer is at rank #3,498, tagged as averb.

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 25588, this pair ranks #43,713 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of mer vs mexer

Shared letters: emr. Private to "mer": -. Private to "mexer": x.

"mer" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "mexer" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • mexeremxer · meexr · mexerr · mexre · mexxer · mmexer · mxeer

Frequency comparison

mer#22,090
mexer#3,498

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mer" and "mexer" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "mer" is a noun and "mexer" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "mer" or "mexer"?
"mexer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,498 in our Portuguese list, against #22,090 for "mer". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mer vs mexer

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “mer”; for a verb, it's “mexer”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “mer” 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