anclavsanclajeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#21,555
“ancla” frequency rank
#35,865
“anclaje” frequency rank
57420
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ancla anclaje
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. Lugar en donde se puede anclar o fondear.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ancla and anclaje apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
ancla
7 ch
anclaje

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ancla ([ˈãŋkla]) and anclaje ([ãŋˈklaxe]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “ancla” sits inside “anclaje”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57420, 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]. anclaje is at rank #35,865, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ãŋˈklaxe].

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 57420, this pair ranks #70,575 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of ancla vs anclaje

Shared letters: acln. Private to "ancla": -. Private to "anclaje": ej.

"ancla" · 5 letters · shape VCCCV  ·  "anclaje" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • anclaacnla · ancal · anccla · anclla · anlca · anncla · nacla
  • anclajeacnlaje · ancalje · ancclaje · anclaej · anclajje · ancljae · ancllaje · anlcaje

Frequency comparison

ancla#21,555
anclaje#35,865

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ancla" and "anclaje" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈãŋkla] versus [ãŋˈklaxe]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ancla" or "anclaje"?
"ancla" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,555 in our Spanish list, against #35,865 for "anclaje". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ancla vs anclaje

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 “ancla” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list