bordarvsborrarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#45,166
“bordar” frequency rank
#5,586
“borrar” frequency rank
50752
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bordar borrar
Definition Labrar sobre cualquier tela con hilo, seda, lana, plata, oro, etc., formando varias labores. Hacer que desaparezca lo escrito, trazado o pintado con una goma, borrador u otro material.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
bordar
6 ch
borrar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. bordar ([boɾˈð̞aɾ]) and borrar ([boˈraɾ]) 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 a single letter - d in “bordar” becomes r in “borrar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50752, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bordar is recorded at frequency rank #45,166, classified as averb, pronounced [boɾˈð̞aɾ]. borrar is at rank #5,586, tagged as averb, pronounced [boˈraɾ].

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 50752, this pair ranks #101,527 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of bordar vs borrar

Shared letters: abor. Private to "bordar": d. Private to "borrar": -.

"bordar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "borrar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bordarbbordar · bodrar · boradr · bordarr · borddar · bordra · borrdar · brodar
  • borrarbborrar · borar · borarr · borrarr · borrra · brorar · obrrar · vorrar

Frequency comparison

bordar#45,166
borrar#5,586

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bordar" and "borrar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([boɾˈð̞aɾ] versus [boˈraɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bordar" or "borrar"?
"borrar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,586 in our Spanish list, against #45,166 for "bordar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering bordar vs borrar

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 “bordar” 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