Which to use
“alfombra” is a noun and “asombra” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,463
- “alfombra” frequency rank
- #20,270
- “asombra” frequency rank
- 28733
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | alfombra | asombra |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pieza de tejido con que se cubren los suelos para decoración, abrigo y protección. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de asombrar o de asombrarse. |
Where the eye mixes alfombra and asombra
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. alfombra runs 8 letters (VCCVCCCV) against asombra's 7 (VCVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between alfombra and asombra
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: alfombra is [alˈfõmbɾa] while asombra is [aˈsõmbɾa]. 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 28733, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
alfombra is recorded at frequency rank #8,463, classified as anoun, pronounced [alˈfõmbɾa]. asombra is at rank #20,270, tagged as averb, pronounced [aˈsõmbɾa].
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 28733, this pair ranks #220,542 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of alfombra vs asombra
Shared letters: abmor. Private to "alfombra": fl. Private to "asombra": s.
"alfombra" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCCV · "asombra" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "alfombra" for "asombra" ever safe?
Frequency check: "alfombra" vs "asombra" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "alfombra" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "asombra" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #220,542 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "alfombra" and "asombra" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "alumbra vs asombra". 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 #220,542 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.