Which to use
“clava” is a noun and “clavan” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,423
- “clava” frequency rank
- #35,417
- “clavan” frequency rank
- 59840
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | clava | clavan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Palo toscamente labrado, como de un metro de largo, que va aumentando de diámetro desde la empuñadura hasta el extremo opuesto. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de clavar o de clavarse. |
Where the eye mixes clava and clavan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses clava with clavan
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: clava is [ˈklaβ̞a] while clavan is [ˈklaβ̞ãn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “clava” sits inside “clavan”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59840, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
clava is recorded at frequency rank #24,423, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈklaβ̞a]. 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 59840, this pair ranks #61,142 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of clava vs clavan
Shared letters: aclv. Private to "clava": -. Private to "clavan": n.
"clava" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "clavan" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "clava" and "clavan" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "clava" vs "clavan" - which ranks higher?
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 "clava" 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 #61,142 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "clava" 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 #61,142 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.