Which to use
“ancla” is a noun and “anclada” is a participle - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,555
- “ancla” frequency rank
- #43,967
- “anclada” frequency rank
- 65522
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ancla | anclada |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Instrumento fuerte de hierro, como arpón o anzuelo de dos lengüetas, el cual afirmado al extremo del cable o gúmena, y arrojado al mar, sirve para aferrar o amarrar las embarcaciones, y asegurarlas del ímpetu de los vientos. | Forma del femenino de anclado, participio de anclar. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ancla and anclada apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ancla is [ˈãŋkla] while anclada is [ãŋˈklað̞a]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “ancla” sits inside “anclada”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs participle), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65522, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ancla is recorded at frequency rank #21,555, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈãŋkla]. anclada is at rank #43,967, tagged as aparticiple, pronounced [ãŋˈklað̞a].
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 65522, this pair ranks #42,392 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ancla vs anclada
Shared letters: acln. Private to "ancla": -. Private to "anclada": d.
"ancla" · 5 letters · shape VCCCV · "anclada" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ancla" and "anclada" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ancla" or "anclada"?
Remembering ancla vs anclada
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “ancla”; for a participle, it's “anclada”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ancla” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable