Which to use
“baila” and “bailen” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,409
- “baila” frequency rank
- #45,149
- “bailen” frequency rank
- 54558
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | baila | bailen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de bailar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de bailar. |
Where the eye mixes baila and bailen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. baila runs 5 letters (CVVCV) against bailen's 6 (CVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: baila vs bailen
A purely visual mix-up. baila ([ˈbajla]) and bailen ([ˈbajlẽn]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54558, 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]. bailen is at rank #45,149, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈbajlẽn].
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 54558, this pair ranks #82,790 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of baila vs bailen
Shared letters: abil. Private to "baila": -. Private to "bailen": en.
"baila" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV · "bailen" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "baila" for "bailen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "baila" vs "bailen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "baila" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "bailen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #82,790 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "baila" and "bailen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bailen vs bain". 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 #82,790 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.