apurarvsayunarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“apurar” and “ayunar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#32,965
“apurar” frequency rank
#43,995
“ayunar” frequency rank
76960
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature apurar ayunar
Definition Purificar o limpiar. Abstenerse total o parcialmente de comer o beber.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set apurar and ayunar apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
apurar
6 ch
ayunar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. apurar ([apuˈɾaɾ]) and ayunar ([aʝuˈnaɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 76960, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

apurar is recorded at frequency rank #32,965, classified as averb, pronounced [apuˈɾaɾ]. ayunar is at rank #43,995, tagged as averb, pronounced [aʝuˈnaɾ].

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 76960, this pair ranks #16,835 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of apurar vs ayunar

Shared letters: aru. Private to "apurar": p. Private to "ayunar": ny.

"apurar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC  ·  "ayunar" · 6 letters · shape VVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • apurarappurar · apruar · apuarr · apurarr · apurra · apurrar · auprar · paurar
  • ayunarauynar · aynuar · ayuanr · ayunarr · ayunnar · ayunra · ayyunar · yaunar

Frequency comparison

apurar#32,965
ayunar#43,995

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "apurar" and "ayunar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([apuˈɾaɾ] versus [aʝuˈnaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "apurar" or "ayunar"?
"apurar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,965 in our Spanish list, against #43,995 for "ayunar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering apurar vs ayunar

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “apurar” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list