Which to use
“abras” is a verb and “atrás” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #27,075
- “abras” frequency rank
- #907
- “atrás” frequency rank
- 27982
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abras | atrás |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de abrir o de abrirse. | Denota la parte posterior de alguna cosa o lo que está o queda a las espaldas. |
Where the eye mixes abras and atrás
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses abras with atrás
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: abras is [ˈaβ̞ɾas] while atrás is [aˈt̪ɾas]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27982, 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]. atrás is at rank #907, tagged as anadv, pronounced [aˈt̪ɾas].
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 27982, this pair ranks #224,236 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of abras vs atrás
Shared letters: ars. Private to "abras": b. Private to "atrás": tá.
"abras" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "atrás" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- abras ← abars · abbras · abrass · abrras · abrsa · arbas
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abras" and "atrás" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "abras" or "atrás"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "abras" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "atrás" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #224,236 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "abras" and "atrás" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abrace vs abras". 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 #224,236 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.