mat and matt are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. mat means “a thick flat pad used as a floor covering”. matt means “the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss”. matt is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈmæt/
1.n.a thick flat pad used as a floor covering
2.n.mounting consisting of a border or background for a picture
3.n.sports equipment consisting of a piece of thick padding on the floor for gymnastic sports
/ˈmæt/
1.n.the property of having little or no contrast; lacking highlights or gloss
2.adj.not reflecting light; not glossy
“flat wall paint”
| mat | matt | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈmæt/ | /ˈmæt/ |
| Said | mat | mat |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 3 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb, adjective | noun, adjective |
| Senses | 11 | 2 |
| How common | Familiar | Core |
| Synonyms | none recorded | flatness, lusterlessness, lustrelessness |