belvsbisTell them apart

Which to use

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

#20,282
“bel” frequency rank
#15,023
“bis” frequency rank
35305
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bel bis
Definition Unidad para medir diversas magnitudes con una escala logarítmica, como la sonoridad, intensidad, atenuación y otras. Repetición de un espectáculo o actuación.

Where the eye mixes bel and bis

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch
bel
3 ch
bis

Look-alike desk: bel vs bis

A purely visual mix-up. bel ([ˈbel]) and bis ([ˈbis]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35305, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bel is recorded at frequency rank #20,282, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈbel]. bis is at rank #15,023, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbis].

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 35305, this pair ranks #186,795 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of bel vs bis

Shared letters: b. Private to "bel": el. Private to "bis": is.

"bel" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "bis" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "bel" for "bis" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈbel] versus [ˈbis]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "bel" or "bis" show up more?
"bis" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,023 in our Spanish list, against #20,282 for "bel". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "bel" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "bis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #186,795 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "bel" and "bis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "bel vs Bru". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #186,795 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list