aterrizavsaterrizarWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#31,216
“aterriza” frequency rank
#14,767
“aterrizar” frequency rank
45983
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature aterriza aterrizar
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de aterrizar. Posarse en el suelo algo que estaba antes volando, flotando o levitando.

Where the eye mixes aterriza and aterrizar

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. aterriza runs 8 letters (VCVCCVCV) against aterrizar's 9 (VCVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
aterriza
9 ch
aterrizar

Look-alike desk: aterriza vs aterrizar

A purely visual mix-up. aterriza ([at̪eˈrisa]) and aterrizar ([at̪eriˈsaɾ]) 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) - “aterriza” sits inside “aterrizar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45983, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

aterriza is recorded at frequency rank #31,216, classified as averb, pronounced [at̪eˈrisa]. aterrizar is at rank #14,767, tagged as averb, pronounced [at̪eriˈsaɾ].

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 45983, this pair ranks #128,358 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of aterriza vs aterrizar

Shared letters: aeirtz. Private to "aterriza": -. Private to "aterrizar": -.

"aterriza" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCV  ·  "aterrizar" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • aterrizaaetrriza · aterirza · ateriza · aterriaz · aterrizza · aterrzia · atreriza · atterriza
  • aterrizaraetrrizar · aterirzar · aterizar · aterriazr · aterrizarr · aterrizra · aterrizzar · aterrziar

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "aterriza" for "aterrizar" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([at̪eˈrisa] versus [at̪eriˈsaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "aterriza" vs "aterrizar" - which ranks higher?
"aterrizar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,767 in our Spanish list, against #31,216 for "aterriza". 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 "aterriza" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "aterrizar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #128,358 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "aterriza" and "aterrizar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "aterrada vs aterriza". 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 #128,358 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