Which to use
“ace” is a noun and “al” is a contraction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,245
- “ace” frequency rank
- #21
- “al” frequency rank
- 16266
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ace | al |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | En el tenis y otros deportes similares, y en el vóley, tanto que se gana con el saque y sin que el rival pueda tocar la pelota. | Contracción de la preposición a y el artículo el (masculino singular) Forma obligatoriamente contracta; la forma *a el no está aceptada por la Real Academia. Se utiliza para todos los valores de a. |
Where the eye mixes ace and al
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ace with al
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ace is [ˈase] while al is [al]. 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 (noun vs contraction), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16266, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ace is recorded at frequency rank #16,245, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈase]. al is at rank #21, tagged as acontraction, pronounced [al].
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 16266, this pair ranks #276,876 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ace vs al
Shared letters: a. Private to "ace": ce. Private to "al": l.
"ace" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "al" · 2 letters · shape VC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ace" and "al" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "ace" or "al"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ace" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "al" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #276,876 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ace" and "al" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abed vs ace". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #276,876 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.