Which to use
“ape” is a noun and “ase” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #45,736
- “ape” frequency rank
- #30,766
- “ase” frequency rank
- 76502
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ape | ase |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Espalda. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de asar. |
Where the eye mixes ape and ase
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. ape and ase follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between ape and ase
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ape is [aˈpe] while ase is [ˈase]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - p in “ape” becomes s in “ase”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 76502, 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]. ase is at rank #30,766, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈase].
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 76502, this pair ranks #17,637 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ape vs ase
Shared letters: ae. Private to "ape": p. Private to "ase": s.
"ape" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "ase" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ape" for "ase" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ape" or "ase"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "ape" and "ase" 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 "ase" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #17,637 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ape" and "ase" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ape vs apis". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #17,637 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.