alavsalphaWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

“ala” and “alpha” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#3,894
“ala” frequency rank
#16,006
“alpha” frequency rank
19900
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ala alpha
Definition Las alas son extremidades o apéndices que poseen algunos grupos de animales, normalmente utilizan estas alas para poder volar. Alfa (letra griega)

Where the eye mixes ala and alpha

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

3 ch
ala
5 ch
alpha

Look-alike desk: ala vs alpha

A purely visual mix-up. ala ([ˈala]) and alpha (/al.fa/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19900, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ala is recorded at frequency rank #3,894, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈala]. alpha is at rank #16,006, tagged as anoun, pronounced /al.fa/.

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 19900, this pair ranks #261,722 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ala vs alpha

Shared letters: al. Private to "ala": -. Private to "alpha": hp.

"ala" · 3 letters · shape VCV  ·  "alpha" · 5 letters · shape VCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • alphaalhpa · allpha · alpah · alphha · alppha · aplha · lapha

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "ala" for "alpha" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈala] versus /al.fa/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ala" or "alpha"?
"ala" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,894 in our Spanish list, against #16,006 for "alpha". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "ala" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "alpha" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #261,722 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "ala" and "alpha" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aha vs alpha". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #261,722 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list