Which to use
“cavar” and “clavan” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #28,673
- “cavar” frequency rank
- #35,417
- “clavan” frequency rank
- 64090
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cavar | clavan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Retirar la tierra para hacer un hoyo o una excavación. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de clavar o de clavarse. |
Where the eye mixes cavar and clavan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses cavar with clavan
A purely visual mix-up. cavar ([kaˈβ̞aɾ]) and clavan ([ˈklaβ̞ãn]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64090, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cavar is recorded at frequency rank #28,673, classified as averb, pronounced [kaˈβ̞aɾ]. clavan is at rank #35,417, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈklaβ̞ãn].
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 64090, this pair ranks #46,647 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of cavar vs clavan
Shared letters: acv. Private to "cavar": r. Private to "clavan": ln.
"cavar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "clavan" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "cavar" and "clavan" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "cavar" vs "clavan" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "cavar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "clavan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #46,647 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cavar" and "clavan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "clavan vs clavaron". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #46,647 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.