Which to use
“bache” and “balde” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #29,939
- “bache” frequency rank
- #17,609
- “balde” frequency rank
- 47548
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bache | balde |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Hoyo que se hace en la calle o camino por el mucho uso. | Cubo, especialmente de lona o cuero, que se emplea para sacar y transportar agua, sobre todo en las embarcaciones. |
Where the eye mixes bache and balde
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: bache vs balde
A purely visual mix-up. bache ([ˈbat͡ʃe]) and balde ([ˈbal̪d̪e]) 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 47548, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bache is recorded at frequency rank #29,939, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈbat͡ʃe]. balde is at rank #17,609, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbal̪d̪e].
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 47548, this pair ranks #119,438 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of bache vs balde
Shared letters: abe. Private to "bache": ch. Private to "balde": dl.
"bache" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "balde" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "bache" for "balde" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "bache" or "balde" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "bache" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "balde" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #119,438 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "bache" and "balde" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bache vs bane". 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 #119,438 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.