Which to use
“ágil” is an adjective and “al” is a contraction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,850
- “ágil” frequency rank
- #21
- “al” frequency rank
- 17871
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ágil | al |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | De movimientos fáciles, rápidos y hábiles. | 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 ágil and al
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between ágil and al
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ágil is [ˈaxil] while al is [al]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs contraction), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17871, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ágil is recorded at frequency rank #17,850, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈaxil]. 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 17871, this pair ranks #270,343 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ágil vs al
Shared letters: l. Private to "ágil": giá. Private to "al": a.
"ágil" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "al" · 2 letters · shape VC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ágil" and "al" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "ágil" vs "al" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ágil" 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 #270,343 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ágil" and "al" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ágil vs apis". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #270,343 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.