alabarvsaplacarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#27,841
“alabar” frequency rank
#35,347
“aplacar” frequency rank
63188
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature alabar aplacar
Definition Expresar una valoración positiva o celebrar las bondades de alguien o algo, generalmente con palabras. Calmar o apaciguar el ánimo violento o excitado de una persona o grupo.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set alabar and aplacar apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
alabar
7 ch
aplacar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. alabar ([alaˈβ̞aɾ]) and aplacar ([aplaˈkaɾ]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63188, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

alabar is recorded at frequency rank #27,841, classified as averb, pronounced [alaˈβ̞aɾ]. aplacar is at rank #35,347, tagged as averb, pronounced [aplaˈkaɾ].

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 63188, this pair ranks #49,536 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of alabar vs aplacar

Shared letters: alr. Private to "alabar": b. Private to "aplacar": cp.

"alabar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC  ·  "aplacar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • alabaraalbar · alaabr · alabarr · alabbar · alabra · alavar · albaar · allabar
  • aplacaralpacar · apalcar · aplaacr · aplacarr · aplaccar · aplacra · aplcaar · apllacar

Frequency comparison

alabar#27,841
aplacar#35,347

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "alabar" and "aplacar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([alaˈβ̞aɾ] versus [aplaˈkaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "alabar" or "aplacar"?
"alabar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,841 in our Spanish list, against #35,347 for "aplacar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering alabar vs aplacar

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “alabar” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list