Which to use
“clavan” is a verb and “clave” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #35,417
- “clavan” frequency rank
- #1,401
- “clave” frequency rank
- 36818
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | clavan | clave |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de clavar o de clavarse. | Explicación de los signos convenidos para escribir en cifra, o de cualesquiera otros distintos de los conocidos o usuales. |
Where the eye mixes clavan and clave
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses clavan with clave
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: clavan is [ˈklaβ̞ãn] while clave is [ˈklaβ̞e]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 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 36818, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
clavan is recorded at frequency rank #35,417, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈklaβ̞ãn]. 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 36818, this pair ranks #178,616 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of clavan vs clave
Shared letters: aclv. Private to "clavan": n. Private to "clave": e.
"clavan" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "clave" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "clavan" and "clave" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "clavan" vs "clave" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "clavan" 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 #178,616 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "clavan" and "clave" 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 #178,616 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.