CapellavscapillaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Capella is a name, capilla is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Capella” is a name and “capilla” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#42,318
“Capella” frequency rank
#5,927
“capilla” frequency rank
48245
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Capella capilla
Definition Estrella doble de la constelación del Auriga. Tiene unas cuatro veces la masa del Sol. Edificio contiguo a una iglesia, o parte integrante de ella, con altar y advocación particular.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Capella and capilla apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
Capella
7 ch
capilla

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Capella is [kaˈpeʝa] while capilla is [kaˈpiʝa]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - e in “Capella” becomes i in “capilla”, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48245, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Capella is recorded at frequency rank #42,318, classified as aname, pronounced [kaˈpeʝa]. capilla is at rank #5,927, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kaˈpiʝa].

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 48245, this pair ranks #115,530 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Capella vs capilla

Shared letters: aclp. Private to "Capella": e. Private to "capilla": i.

"Capella" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "capilla" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Capellaacpella · caeplla · capela · capelal · caplela · cappella · ccapella · cpaella
  • capillaacpilla · caiplla · capila · capilal · caplila · cappilla · ccapilla · cpailla

Frequency comparison

Capella#42,318
capilla#5,927

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Capella" and "capilla" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Capella" is a name and "capilla" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Capella" or "capilla"?
"capilla" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,927 in our Spanish list, against #42,318 for "Capella". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Capella vs capilla

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a name, it's “Capella”; for a noun, it's “capilla”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Capella” 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