acabarvsavalarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,004
“acabar” frequency rank
#38,513
“avalar” frequency rank
40517
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature acabar avalar
Definition Llevar algo a su fin. Responder con el dinero y las propiedades de uno mismo por las deudas que pueda contraer otra persona. Servir de fiador, avalista o avalador.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set acabar and avalar apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
acabar
6 ch
avalar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. acabar ([akaˈβ̞aɾ]) and avalar ([aβ̞aˈlaɾ]) 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 40517, 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]. avalar is at rank #38,513, tagged as averb, pronounced [aβ̞aˈlaɾ].

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 40517, this pair ranks #158,648 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of acabar vs avalar

Shared letters: ar. Private to "acabar": bc. Private to "avalar": lv.

"acabar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC  ·  "avalar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • acabaraacbar · acaabr · acabarr · acabbar · acabra · acavar · acbaar · accabar
  • avalaraavlar · abalar · avaalr · avalarr · avallar · avalra · avlaar · avvalar

Frequency comparison

acabar#2,004
avalar#38,513

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "acabar" and "avalar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([akaˈβ̞aɾ] versus [aβ̞aˈlaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "acabar" or "avalar"?
"acabar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,004 in our Spanish list, against #38,513 for "avalar". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering acabar vs avalar

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 “acabar” 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