barravsbarrigaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,898
“barra” frequency rank
#13,851
“barriga” frequency rank
17749
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature barra barriga
Definition Pieza larga de metal u otra materia, por lo general de forma cilíndrica o prismática. Sección inferior y anterior del tronco de los vertebrados, por debajo del pecho.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
barra
7 ch
barriga

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. barra ([ˈbara]) and barriga ([baˈriɣ̞a]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17749, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

barra is recorded at frequency rank #3,898, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈbara]. barriga is at rank #13,851, tagged as anoun, pronounced [baˈriɣ̞a].

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 17749, this pair ranks #270,861 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of barra vs barriga

Shared letters: abr. Private to "barra": -. Private to "barriga": gi.

"barra" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "barriga" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • barraabrra · barar · bbarra · brara · varra
  • barrigaabrriga · bariga · barirga · barrgia · barriag · barrigga · bbarriga · brariga

Frequency comparison

barra#3,898
barriga#13,851

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "barra" and "barriga" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈbara] versus [baˈriɣ̞a]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "barra" or "barriga"?
"barra" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,898 in our Spanish list, against #13,851 for "barriga". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering barra vs barriga

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 “barra” 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