Which to use
“class” and “clave” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,607
- “class” frequency rank
- #1,401
- “clave” frequency rank
- 24008
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | class | clave |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Clase, categoría, nivel, cualidad. | Explicación de los signos convenidos para escribir en cifra, o de cualesquiera otros distintos de los conocidos o usuales. |
Where the eye mixes class and clave
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses class with clave
A purely visual mix-up. class (/klɑːs/) and clave ([ˈklaβ̞e]) 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 24008, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
class is recorded at frequency rank #22,607, classified as anoun, pronounced /klɑːs/. clave is at rank #1,401, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈklaβ̞e].
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 24008, this pair ranks #243,145 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of class vs clave
Shared letters: acl. Private to "class": s. Private to "clave": ev.
"class" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "clave" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "class" for "clave" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "class" or "clave" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "class" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "clave" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #243,145 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "class" and "clave" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cats vs class". 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 #243,145 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.