bastavsbeastWhat's the difference?

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set basta and beast apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
basta
5 ch
beast

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • bastaabsta · basat · bassta · bastta · batsa · bbasta · bsata
  • beastbaest · bbeast · beasst · beastt · beats · besat · ebast · veast

Frequency comparison

basta#1,468
beast#42,296

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "basta" and "beast" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈbast̪a] versus /biːst/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "basta" or "beast"?
"basta" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,468 in our Spanish list, against #42,296 for "beast". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering basta vs beast

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 “basta” 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