Which to use
“ah” is an intj and “aún” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #699
- “ah” frequency rank
- #240
- “aún” frequency rank
- 939
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ah | aún |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Denota tristeza o decepción. | Indica que el hecho persiste en el presente, aunque pueda cambiar en lo sucesivo.. |
Where the eye mixes ah and aún
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ah with aún
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ah is [ˈa] while aún is [aˈũn]. 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 (intj vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 939, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ah is recorded at frequency rank #699, classified as anintj, pronounced [ˈa]. aún is at rank #240, tagged as anadv, pronounced [aˈũn].
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 939, this pair ranks #322,774 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ah vs aún
Shared letters: a. Private to "ah": h. Private to "aún": nú.
"ah" · 2 letters · shape VC · "aún" · 3 letters · shape VVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ah" for "aún" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "ah" or "aún" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ah" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "aún" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #322,774 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ah" and "aún" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ah vs atl". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #322,774 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.