alasvsavisWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,666
“alas” frequency rank
#46,353
“avis” frequency rank
50019
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature alas avis
Definition Forma del plural de ala. Opinión.

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
alas
4 ch
avis

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. alas ([ˈalas]) and avis ([a.vi]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50019, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

alas is recorded at frequency rank #3,666, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈalas]. avis is at rank #46,353, tagged as anoun, pronounced [a.vi].

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 50019, this pair ranks #105,563 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of alas vs avis

Shared letters: as. Private to "alas": l. Private to "avis": iv.

"alas" · 4 letters · shape VCVC  ·  "avis" · 4 letters · shape VCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • alasaals · alass · allas · alsa · laas
  • avisabis · aivs · aviss · avsi · avvis

Frequency comparison

alas#3,666
avis#46,353

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "alas" and "avis" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈalas] versus [a.vi]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "alas" or "avis"?
"alas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,666 in our Spanish list, against #46,353 for "avis". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering alas vs avis

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 “alas” 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