arcavsasmaConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#12,304
“arca” frequency rank
#15,015
“asma” frequency rank
27319
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature arca asma
Definition Caja que puede tener distintos tamaños, generalmente de madera, cuya tapa se asegura con bisagras por uno de sus lados y que suele cerrarse con cerradura y candado. Suele estar muy ornamentada y a veces reposa sobre un pequeño podium. Enfermedad inflamatoria del aparato respiratorio que provoca dificultad en la respiración (disnea).

Where the eye mixes arca and asma

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
arca
4 ch
asma

Visual trap between arca and asma

A purely visual mix-up. arca ([ˈaɾka]) and asma ([ˈasma]) 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 27319, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

arca is recorded at frequency rank #12,304, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈaɾka]. asma is at rank #15,015, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈasma].

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 27319, this pair ranks #227,396 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of arca vs asma

Shared letters: a. Private to "arca": cr. Private to "asma": ms.

"arca" · 4 letters · shape VCCV  ·  "asma" · 4 letters · shape VCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • arcaarac · arcca · arrca · raca
  • asmaasam · asmma · assma

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "arca" for "asma" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaɾka] versus [ˈasma]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "arca" or "asma"?
"arca" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,304 in our Spanish list, against #15,015 for "asma". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "arca" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "asma" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #227,396 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "arca" and "asma" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "anta vs asma". 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 #227,396 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list