Which to use
“apuñala” and “apuñalar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #46,929
- “apuñala” frequency rank
- #38,501
- “apuñalar” frequency rank
- 85430
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | apuñala | apuñalar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de apuñalar. | Herir con un puñal. |
Where the eye mixes apuñala and apuñalar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. apuñala runs 7 letters (VCVCVCV) against apuñalar's 8 (VCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: apuñala vs apuñalar
A purely visual mix-up. apuñala ([apuˈɲala]) and apuñalar ([apuɲaˈlaɾ]) 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 extra letter(s) - “apuñala” sits inside “apuñalar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 85430, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
apuñala is recorded at frequency rank #46,929, classified as averb, pronounced [apuˈɲala]. apuñalar is at rank #38,501, tagged as averb, pronounced [apuɲaˈlaɾ].
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 85430, this pair ranks #6,138 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of apuñala vs apuñalar
Shared letters: alpuñ. Private to "apuñala": -. Private to "apuñalar": r.
"apuñala" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVCV · "apuñalar" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "apuñala" and "apuñalar" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "apuñala" or "apuñalar" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "apuñala" and "apuñalar" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "apuñala" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "apuñalar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #6,138 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "apuñala" and "apuñalar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "apuñala vs apuntalar". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #6,138 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.