Which to use
“atajar” and “avalar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #28,244
- “atajar” frequency rank
- #38,513
- “avalar” frequency rank
- 66757
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | atajar | avalar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Utilizar un atajo, acortar distancia saliéndose del camino principal. | Responder con el dinero y las propiedades de uno mismo por las deudas que pueda contraer otra persona. Servir de fiador, avalista o avalador. |
Where the eye mixes atajar and avalar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. atajar and avalar follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses atajar with avalar
A purely visual mix-up. atajar ([at̪aˈxaɾ]) and avalar ([aβ̞aˈlaɾ]) 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 66757, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
atajar is recorded at frequency rank #28,244, classified as averb, pronounced [at̪aˈxaɾ]. avalar is at rank #38,513, tagged as averb, pronounced [aβ̞aˈlaɾ].
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 66757, this pair ranks #38,962 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of atajar vs avalar
Shared letters: ar. Private to "atajar": jt. Private to "avalar": lv.
"atajar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC · "avalar" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "atajar" for "avalar" ever safe?
Frequency check: "atajar" vs "avalar" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "atajar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "avalar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #38,962 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "atajar" and "avalar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "afilar vs avalar". 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 #38,962 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.