Which to use
“abra” is a noun and “abrir” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,943
- “abra” frequency rank
- #1,464
- “abrir” frequency rank
- 9407
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abra | abrir |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Entrada de mar en tierra, de menor proporción que una bahía, que ofrece resguardo para que los buques puedan fondear en ella. | Remover la tapa o la cubierta de algo, haciéndolo visible. |
Where the eye mixes abra and abrir
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses abra with abrir
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: abra is [ˈaβ̞ɾa] while abrir is [aˈβ̞ɾiɾ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9407, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abra is recorded at frequency rank #7,943, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈaβ̞ɾa]. abrir is at rank #1,464, tagged as averb, pronounced [aˈβ̞ɾiɾ].
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 9407, this pair ranks #302,039 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abra vs abrir
Shared letters: abr. Private to "abra": -. Private to "abrir": i.
"abra" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "abrir" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "abra" and "abrir" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "abra" vs "abrir" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "abra" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "abrir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #302,039 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abra" and "abrir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abra vs abrace". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #302,039 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.