Mexer is written with x (and not ch), because after the syllables me It is en we use x, for example: Mexico, Mexican, mussel, gossip, migraine, dry, see, swarm.
Examples with the word stir and its derivatives
- to mix: I already told you not to touch it there.
- shake: Move it so you can see something.
- moved: Why did you mess with this?
- moving: He's always messing around where he shouldn't...
- mix: Don't touch it there.
- move: Why do you change everything?
- move: We told them not to move...
- to mix: Please do not touch the objects on display.
- we move: We stir everything very well and only then light the fire.
- moved: She stirred the porridge with a different spoon.
- move: Come on, move!
- move: You can let me stir the brigadeiro for you.
- mix: Move your legs. You can't stand still.
- to mix: He doesn't stop using his cell phone.
- moved: She moved and got what she wanted.
Stir or Stir
After the syllable me we use x, but the word mecha is an exception.
Mexa and mecham exist, but they depend on the context in which they are used.
Mix: comes from the verb stir and its most common meaning is to mix, for example: Stir the pan.
Wick: is a noun and its most common meaning is a portion of hair, for example: He cut his son's hair and kept a lock of hair as a souvenir.
The words mexa and mecham are pronounced differently. In, move, the letter e is closed (like mêxa). In, mecha, the letter e is open (like mecha).
Rule for writing the word mess with x
According to the rule, words starting with me It is en are written with x, with some exceptions. Examples:
hoe, rinse, swarm, migraine, see, nosy, sulfur, trousseau, trousseau, dry, dry.
gossip, gossip, Mexico, Mexican, mussel.
The exceptions are:
Mecha (portion of hair) is written with ch.
Fill (verb), and its derivatives, are written with ch (enchente, enchido, filling, soaked), because filled is written with ch. The same happens with enchiqueirar, which is also written with ch, because chiceiro is written with ch.
Read too:
Spelling: what it is, rules and exercises
Spelling exercises with template
Bibliographic references
NETO, Pasquale Cipro; INFANTE, Ulysses. Grammar of the Portuguese Language. 3. ed. São Paulo: Scipione, 2009.
FERNANDES, Márcia. Mexer or mecher: how to write it (examples and rules).All Matter, [n.d.]. Available in: https://www.todamateria.com.br/mexer-ou-mecher/. Access at:
See too
- Spelling exercises
- Spelling: what it is, rules and exercises
- Lose or Lose?
- Using S and Z
- Company or company
- Repair or concert: how to spell it
- Correct use of whys: guide to why, why, why, why
- Homonyms and Paronyms