Which to use
“basta” and “beast” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,468
- “basta” frequency rank
- #42,296
- “beast” frequency rank
- 43764
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | basta | beast |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Hilván que dan en la ropa los sastres, modistas y costureras, para que salgan bien derechas las costuras. | Bestia. |
Where the eye mixes basta and beast
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. basta (CVCCV) and beast (CVVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between basta and beast
A purely visual mix-up. basta ([ˈbast̪a]) and beast (/biːst/) 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 4 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43764, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
basta is recorded at frequency rank #1,468, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈbast̪a]. beast is at rank #42,296, tagged as anoun, pronounced /biːst/.
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 43764, this pair ranks #140,837 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of basta vs beast
Shared letters: abst. Private to "basta": -. Private to "beast": e.
"basta" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "beast" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "basta" for "beast" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "basta" or "beast" 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 "basta" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "beast" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #140,837 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "basta" and "beast" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "beast vs boost". 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 #140,837 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.