birvsbisWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: bir is a num, bis is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“bir” is a num and “bis” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#48,247
“bir” frequency rank
#15,023
“bis” frequency rank
63270
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bir bis
Definition Uno, un. Repetición de un espectáculo o actuación.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bir and bis apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
bir
3 ch
bis

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

bir and bis form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - r in “bir” becomes s in “bis” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63270, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bir is recorded at frequency rank #48,247, classified as anum, pronounced [bir]. 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 63270, this pair ranks #49,298 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Frequency comparison

bir#48,247
bis#15,023

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bir" and "bis" be used interchangeably?
No, "bir" and "bis" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering bir vs bis

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a num, it's “bir”; for a noun, it's “bis”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “bir” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list