alavsÁvilaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: ala is a noun, Ávila is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ala” is a noun and “Ávila” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,894
“ala” frequency rank
#9,063
“Ávila” frequency rank
12957
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ala Ávila
Definition Las alas son extremidades o apéndices que poseen algunos grupos de animales, normalmente utilizan estas alas para poder volar. Ciudad de España en la comunidad autónoma de Castilla y León.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ala and Ávila apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
ala
5 ch
Ávila

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ala is [ˈala] while Ávila is [ˈaβ̞ila]. 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 (noun vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12957, 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]. Ávila is at rank #9,063, tagged as aname, pronounced [ˈaβ̞ila].

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 12957, this pair ranks #289,664 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ala vs Ávila

Shared letters: al. Private to "ala": -. Private to "Ávila": ivá.

"ala" · 3 letters · shape VCV  ·  "Ávila" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV

Frequency comparison

ala#3,894
Ávila#9,063

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ala" and "Ávila" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ala" is a noun and "Ávila" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ala" or "Ávila"?
"ala" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,894 in our Spanish list, against #9,063 for "Ávila". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ala vs Ávila

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “ala”; for a name, it's “Ávila”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ala” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list