# span vs spine

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### span
*noun · IPA /spæn/ · frequency rank #6,416*
The full width of an open hand from the end of the thumb to the end of the little finger used as an informal unit of length.

### spine
*noun · IPA /spaɪn/ · frequency rank #7,983*
A series of bones situated at the back from the head to the pelvis of a human, or from the head to the tail of an animal, enclosing the spinal cord and providing support for the thorax and abdomen.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/span-vs-spine