Which to use
“ape” is a noun and “apta” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #45,736
- “ape” frequency rank
- #20,890
- “apta” frequency rank
- 66626
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ape | apta |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Espalda. | Forma del femenino singular de apto. |
Where the eye mixes ape and apta
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. ape runs 3 letters (VCV) against apta's 4 (VCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses ape with apta
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ape is [aˈpe] while apta is [ˈapt̪a]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 66626, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ape is recorded at frequency rank #45,736, classified as anoun, pronounced [aˈpe]. apta is at rank #20,890, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈapt̪a].
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 66626, this pair ranks #39,369 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ape vs apta
Shared letters: ap. Private to "ape": e. Private to "apta": t.
"ape" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "apta" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- apta ← apat · appta · aptta
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ape" for "apta" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ape" or "apta"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "ape" and "apta" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ape" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "apta" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #39,369 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ape" and "apta" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ape vs apis". 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 #39,369 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.