acvsapeTell them apart

Quick tell: ac is a adjective, ape is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ac” is an adjective and “ape” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#6,854
“ac” frequency rank
#45,736
“ape” frequency rank
52590
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ac ape
Definition Hambriento. Espalda.

Where the eye mixes ac and ape

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

2 ch
ac
3 ch
ape

Why the eye confuses ac with ape

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ac is [ɑd͡ʒ] while ape is [aˈpe]. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52590, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ac is recorded at frequency rank #6,854, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɑd͡ʒ]. ape is at rank #45,736, tagged as anoun, pronounced [aˈpe].

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 52590, this pair ranks #91,992 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ac vs ape

Shared letters: a. Private to "ac": c. Private to "ape": ep.

"ac" · 2 letters · shape VC  ·  "ape" · 3 letters · shape VCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "ac" for "ape" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ac" is an adjective and "ape" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "ac" or "ape" show up more?
"ac" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,854 in our Spanish list, against #45,736 for "ape". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "ac" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "ape" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #91,992 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "ac" and "ape" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ape vs apis". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #91,992 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list