Which to use
“al” is a contraction and “aún” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21
- “al” frequency rank
- #240
- “aún” frequency rank
- 261
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | al | aún |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 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. | Indica que el hecho persiste en el presente, aunque pueda cambiar en lo sucesivo.. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set al and aún apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
al and aún form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 261, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
al is recorded at frequency rank #21, classified as acontraction, pronounced [al]. 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 261, this pair ranks #323,605 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "al" and "aún" be used interchangeably?
Remembering al vs aún
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a contraction, it's “al”; for an adverb, it's “aún”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “al” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable