Which to use
“actúa” is a verb and “agua” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,571
- “actúa” frequency rank
- #253
- “agua” frequency rank
- 4824
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | actúa | agua |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de actuar. | Sustancia transparente, inodora e insípida, que se encuentra en estado líquido a temperatura y presión estándar, y cuya composición molecular es de dos átomos de hidrógeno por uno de oxígeno. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set actúa and agua apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: actúa is [akˈt̪ua] while agua is [ˈaɣ̞wa]. 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 4824, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
actúa is recorded at frequency rank #4,571, classified as averb, pronounced [akˈt̪ua]. agua is at rank #253, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaɣ̞wa].
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 4824, this pair ranks #315,168 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of actúa vs agua
Shared letters: a. Private to "actúa": ctú. Private to "agua": gu.
"actúa" · 5 letters · shape VCCVV · "agua" · 4 letters · shape VCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- agua ← agau · aggua · auga · gaua
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "actúa" and "agua" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "actúa" or "agua"?
Remembering actúa vs agua
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “actúa”; for a noun, it's “agua”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “actúa” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable