bailavsbailadoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,409
“baila” frequency rank
#38,518
“bailado” frequency rank
47927
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature baila bailado
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de bailar. Participio de bailar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set baila and bailado apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
baila
7 ch
bailado

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. baila ([ˈbajla]) and bailado ([bajˈlað̞o]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “baila” sits inside “bailado”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47927, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

baila is recorded at frequency rank #9,409, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈbajla]. bailado is at rank #38,518, tagged as averb, pronounced [bajˈlað̞o].

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 47927, this pair ranks #117,300 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of baila vs bailado

Shared letters: abil. Private to "baila": -. Private to "bailado": do.

"baila" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV  ·  "bailado" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bailaabila · baial · bailla · balia · bbaila · biala · vaila
  • bailadoabilado · baialdo · bailaddo · bailaod · baildao · baillado · baliado · bbailado

Frequency comparison

baila#9,409
bailado#38,518

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "baila" and "bailado" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈbajla] versus [bajˈlað̞o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "baila" or "bailado"?
"baila" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,409 in our Spanish list, against #38,518 for "bailado". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering baila vs bailado

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “baila” 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