Which to use
“apesta” is a verb and “apta” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #19,625
- “apesta” frequency rank
- #20,890
- “apta” frequency rank
- 40515
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | apesta | apta |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de apestar. | Forma del femenino singular de apto. |
Where the eye mixes apesta and apta
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between apesta and apta
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: apesta is [aˈpest̪a] while apta is [ˈapt̪a]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40515, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
apesta is recorded at frequency rank #19,625, classified as averb, pronounced [aˈpest̪a]. 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 40515, this pair ranks #158,662 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of apesta vs apta
Shared letters: apt. Private to "apesta": es. Private to "apta": -.
"apesta" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV · "apta" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "apesta" for "apta" ever safe?
Frequency check: "apesta" vs "apta" - which ranks higher?
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 "apesta" 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 #158,662 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "apesta" and "apta" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "apis vs apta". 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 #158,662 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.