ArayavsarrasaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Araya is a name, arrasa is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Araya” is a name and “arrasa” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#31,206
“Araya” frequency rank
#32,502
“arrasa” frequency rank
63708
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Araya arrasa
Definition Apellido Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de arrasar o de arrasarse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Araya
6 ch
arrasa

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Araya is [aˈɾaʝa] while arrasa is [aˈrasa]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63708, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Araya is recorded at frequency rank #31,206, classified as aname, pronounced [aˈɾaʝa]. arrasa is at rank #32,502, tagged as averb, pronounced [aˈrasa].

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 63708, this pair ranks #47,903 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Araya vs arrasa

Shared letters: ar. Private to "Araya": y. Private to "arrasa": s.

"Araya" · 5 letters · shape VCVVV  ·  "arrasa" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Arayaaarya · araay · arayya · arraya · aryaa · raaya
  • arrasaararsa · arasa · arraas · arrassa · arrsaa · rarasa

Frequency comparison

Araya#31,206
arrasa#32,502

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Araya" and "arrasa" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Araya" is a name and "arrasa" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Araya" or "arrasa"?
"Araya" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #31,206 in our Spanish list, against #32,502 for "arrasa". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Araya vs arrasa

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a name, it's “Araya”; for a verb, it's “arrasa”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Araya” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list