Which to use
“ace” and “año” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,245
- “ace” frequency rank
- #100
- “año” frequency rank
- 16345
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ace | año |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Intervalo de tiempo que tarda la Tierra en hacer una revolución alrededor del Sol. El año se compone de 365 días y cuarto aproximadamente. Por eso cada cuatro años el año civil tiene un día más. |
Where the eye mixes ace and año
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between ace and año
A purely visual mix-up. ace ([ˈase]) and año ([ˈaɲo]) 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 16345, 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]. año is at rank #100, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaɲo].
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 16345, this pair ranks #276,547 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ace vs año
Shared letters: a. Private to "ace": ce. Private to "año": oñ.
"ace" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "año" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ace" for "año" ever safe?
Frequency check: "ace" vs "año" - which ranks higher?
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 "ace" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "año" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #276,547 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ace" and "año" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abed vs ace". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #276,547 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.