bordarvsburlarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#45,166
“bordar” frequency rank
#24,406
“burlar” frequency rank
69572
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bordar burlar
Definition Labrar sobre cualquier tela con hilo, seda, lana, plata, oro, etc., formando varias labores. Engañar, mentir a alguien.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
bordar
6 ch
burlar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. bordar ([boɾˈð̞aɾ]) and burlar ([buɾˈlaɾ]) 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 69572, 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]. burlar is at rank #24,406, tagged as averb, pronounced [buɾˈlaɾ].

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 69572, this pair ranks #31,688 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of bordar vs burlar

Shared letters: abr. Private to "bordar": do. Private to "burlar": lu.

"bordar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "burlar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bordarbbordar · bodrar · boradr · bordarr · borddar · bordra · borrdar · brodar
  • burlarbburlar · brular · bulrar · buralr · burlarr · burllar · burlra · burrlar

Frequency comparison

bordar#45,166
burlar#24,406

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bordar" and "burlar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([boɾˈð̞aɾ] versus [buɾˈlaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bordar" or "burlar"?
"burlar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,406 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 burlar

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list