pala
[ˈpala]
The verdict
“pala” is a moderately-common Spanish word, ranked #11,464 in Spanish word frequency and used as a noun.
- #11,464
- frequency rank, Spanish
- 4
- letters
- 5
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Herramienta formada por una lámina plana o ligeramente cóncava y un mango para asirla, que se emplea para recoger y transportar materiales sueltos o para cavar.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | pala |
| Language | Spanish |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | [ˈpala] |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #11,464 |
| Misspellings tracked | 5 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “pala” sits in Spanish frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The Spanish entry for pala is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈpala]. Corpus data places it at rank #11,464 in overall Spanish word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 22 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for pala, with forms such as "apla", "paal", and "palla". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "paz", "pan", "pas", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct Spanish form is pala, spelled P-A-L-A.
Definition
- 1Herramienta formada por una lámina plana o ligeramente cóncava y un mango para asirla, que se emplea para recoger y transportar materiales sueltos o para cavar.
- 2Volumen de material que puede trasladar esta herramienta en cada movimiento.
- 3Por analogía, estructura equivalente en algunas herramientas mecánicas.
- 4Lámina plana, similar a la de las palas₁, que forma la parte viva de otras herramientas, como las hachas o azadas.
- 5Por analogía, parte plana de los remos, con la que se empuja el agua.
- 6Por analogía, cada una de las láminas de una hélice, que cumplen esta misma función.
- 7Por analogía, parte principal y plana del timón.
- 8Por analogía, lámina de metal en que se engastan las piedras de una joya.
- 9Por analogía, cada una de las láminas metálicas de una bisagra, que se fijan a las superficies que debe articular.
- 10Cada uno de los dientes anchos y planos que, ubicados al centro del maxilar, se usan para cortar y desgarrar.
- 11En particular, cada una de las cuatro palas₉ del caballo, que son las primeras en salir y en mudar.
- 12Parte convexa del zapato, que cubre el dorso del pie.
- 13Cuchilla de hoja corta y perpendicular al mango, usada para descarnar el cuero para curtir.
- 14Cada uno de los segmentos ovales y aplanados que forman el tallo de algunos cactus.
- 15Parte plana de las charreteras, a la que se le aplican los flecos y las insignias de grado.
- 16Foque de pequeño tamaño que se pone adicionalmente al velamen normal en caso de falta de viento.
- 17Implemento de forma que recuerda a la de una pala ₁, usado en varios deportes para golpear una pelota.
- 18Parte respingada y más estrecha del frente de los esquíes.
- 19Parte plana y ancha de las llaves de los instrumentos de viento.
- 20Extremo más ancho de la corbata, que se coloca al frente del otro.
- 21Parte basal externa de las astas.
- 22Principio activo de la coca, extraído en forma de clorhidrato, usado como medicamento y en especial como droga recreativa.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: apla,paal,palla,plaa,ppala
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of pala - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 Spanish corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “pala”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct Spanish spelling is P-A-L-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈpala] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “paz” - see the side-by-side comparison. pala vs paz
- Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.