abrasvsaspasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“abras” and “aspas” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#27,075
“abras” frequency rank
#41,747
“aspas” frequency rank
68822
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abras aspas
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de abrir o de abrirse. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de aspar o de asparse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abras and aspas apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
abras
5 ch
aspas

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abras ([ˈaβ̞ɾas]) and aspas ([ˈaspas]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68822, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abras is recorded at frequency rank #27,075, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaβ̞ɾas]. aspas is at rank #41,747, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaspas].

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 68822, this pair ranks #33,535 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of abras vs aspas

Shared letters: as. Private to "abras": br. Private to "aspas": p.

"abras" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC  ·  "aspas" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abrasabars · abbras · abrass · abrras · abrsa · arbas
  • aspasasaps · aspass · asppas · aspsa · asspas · sapas

Frequency comparison

abras#27,075
aspas#41,747

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abras" and "aspas" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaβ̞ɾas] versus [ˈaspas]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abras" or "aspas"?
"abras" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,075 in our Spanish list, against #41,747 for "aspas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering abras vs aspas

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “abras” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list