Which to use
“acabar” is a verb and “acabe” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,004
- “acabar” frequency rank
- #5,792
- “acabe” frequency rank
- 7796
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | acabar | acabe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Llevar algo a su fin. | Acción o efecto de acabar. |
Where the eye mixes acabar and acabe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses acabar with acabe
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: acabar is [akaˈβ̞aɾ] while acabe is [aˈkaβ̞e]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7796, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
acabar is recorded at frequency rank #2,004, classified as averb, pronounced [akaˈβ̞aɾ]. acabe is at rank #5,792, tagged as anoun, pronounced [aˈkaβ̞e].
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 7796, this pair ranks #306,903 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of acabar vs acabe
Shared letters: abc. Private to "acabar": r. Private to "acabe": e.
"acabar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC · "acabe" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "acabar" and "acabe" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "acabar" or "acabe" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "acabar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "acabe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #306,903 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "acabar" and "acabe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "acabase vs acabe". 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 #306,903 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.