Which to use
“alce” is a noun and “are” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #37,936
- “alce” frequency rank
- #6,261
- “are” frequency rank
- 44197
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | alce | are |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (Alces alces) Especie de mamífero artiodáctilo de la familia de los cérvidos. Habitante original de los bosques nórdicos de Europa y Asia. Es cazado especialmente por su carne, la piel y los huesos, así como por deporte. Pueden pesar de 350 hasta 450 kg y tener una altura de 1,50 a 2,15 m. La diferenciación de machos y hembras solo es notada en la falta de astas ya que sus alturas son relativamente iguales. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de arar. |
Where the eye mixes alce and are
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between alce and are
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: alce is [ˈalse] while are is [ˈaɾe]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44197, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
alce is recorded at frequency rank #37,936, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈalse]. are is at rank #6,261, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaɾe].
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 44197, this pair ranks #138,406 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of alce vs are
Shared letters: ae. Private to "alce": cl. Private to "are": r.
"alce" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "are" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- alce ← acle · alcce · alec · allce · alse · lace
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "alce" and "are" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "alce" or "are"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "alce" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "are" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #138,406 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "alce" and "are" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "alce vs alió". 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 #138,406 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.