Which to use
“cave” is a verb and “claves” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #34,485
- “cave” frequency rank
- #5,474
- “claves” frequency rank
- 39959
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cave | claves |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de cavar. | Forma del plural de clave. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cave and claves apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: cave is [ˈkaβ̞e] while claves is [ˈklaβ̞es]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39959, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cave is recorded at frequency rank #34,485, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈkaβ̞e]. claves is at rank #5,474, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈklaβ̞es].
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 39959, this pair ranks #161,718 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of cave vs claves
Shared letters: acev. Private to "cave": -. Private to "claves": ls.
"cave" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "claves" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cave" and "claves" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "cave" or "claves"?
Remembering cave vs claves
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “cave”; for a noun, it's “claves”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cave” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable