Which to use
“ale” and “ape” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,530
- “ale” frequency rank
- #45,736
- “ape” frequency rank
- 61266
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ale | ape |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Cerveza de cebada, típica de las islas británicas, de color más oscuro, sabor más intenso y mayor graduación alcohólica que la cerveza rubia o lager. | Espalda. |
Where the eye mixes ale and ape
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. ale and ape follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between ale and ape
A purely visual mix-up. ale ([ˈeɪ.l̩]) and ape ([aˈpe]) 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 a single letter - l in “ale” becomes p in “ape”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61266, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ale is recorded at frequency rank #15,530, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈeɪ.l̩]. ape is at rank #45,736, tagged as anoun, pronounced [aˈpe].
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 61266, this pair ranks #56,061 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ale vs ape
Shared letters: ae. Private to "ale": l. Private to "ape": p.
"ale" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "ape" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ale" for "ape" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ale" or "ape"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ale" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ape" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #56,061 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ale" and "ape" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ape vs apis". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #56,061 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.