Which to use
“ape” and “arce” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #45,736
- “ape” frequency rank
- #13,186
- “arce” frequency rank
- 58922
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ape | arce |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Espalda. | (Acer spp.) Cualquiera de varias especies de árboles y arbustos del hemisferio norte, de características hojas opuestas, muchas veces palmatilobuladas. Florecen formando inflorescencias en racimos, corimbos o umbelas de floros pentámeros, que fructifican en parejas de sámaras muy distintivas. Son una importante fuente de polen y néctar para la apicultura, y tienen varios usos comerciales, incluyendo el ornamental, la madera y la elaboración de jarabe. Es el árbol nacional de Canadá. |
Where the eye mixes ape and arce
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. ape runs 3 letters (VCV) against arce'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 arce
A purely visual mix-up. ape ([aˈpe]) and arce ([ˈaɾse]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58922, 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]. arce is at rank #13,186, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈaɾse].
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 58922, this pair ranks #64,596 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ape vs arce
Shared letters: ae. Private to "ape": p. Private to "arce": cr.
"ape" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "arce" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- arce ← arcce · arec · arrce · arse
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ape" for "arce" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ape" or "arce"?
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 "ape" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "arce" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #64,596 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ape" and "arce" 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 #64,596 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.