Which to use
“clase” and “clava” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #397
- “clase” frequency rank
- #24,423
- “clava” frequency rank
- 24820
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | clase | clava |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Marca o tipo, a menudo asociado con “modelo”. | Palo toscamente labrado, como de un metro de largo, que va aumentando de diámetro desde la empuñadura hasta el extremo opuesto. |
Where the eye mixes clase and clava
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses clase with clava
A purely visual mix-up. clase ([ˈklase]) and clava ([ˈklaβ̞a]) 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 24820, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
clase is recorded at frequency rank #397, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈklase]. clava is at rank #24,423, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈklaβ̞a].
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 24820, this pair ranks #239,331 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of clase vs clava
Shared letters: acl. Private to "clase": es. Private to "clava": v.
"clase" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "clava" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "clase" for "clava" ever safe?
Frequency check: "clase" vs "clava" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "clase" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "clava" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #239,331 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "clase" and "clava" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "clava vs Cova". 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 #239,331 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.