Which to use
“clavo” and “clay” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,776
- “clavo” frequency rank
- #21,254
- “clay” frequency rank
- 31030
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | clavo | clay |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pequeña barra de metal delgada y puntiaguda, que se inserta en tablas, paredes y tabiques con un martillo, con el propósito de sujetar o pegar. | Arcilla. |
Where the eye mixes clavo and clay
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: clavo vs clay
A purely visual mix-up. clavo ([ˈklaβ̞o]) and clay (/kleɪ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31030, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
clavo is recorded at frequency rank #9,776, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈklaβ̞o]. clay is at rank #21,254, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kleɪ/.
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 31030, this pair ranks #209,145 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of clavo vs clay
Shared letters: acl. Private to "clavo": ov. Private to "clay": y.
"clavo" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "clay" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "clavo" for "clay" ever safe?
Which is more common, "clavo" or "clay"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "clavo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "clay" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #209,145 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "clavo" and "clay" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chuy vs clay". 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 #209,145 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.