Which to use
“coma” and “comba” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,703
- “coma” frequency rank
- #48,301
- “comba” frequency rank
- 54004
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | coma | comba |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Signo de puntuación que se emplea en gramática para dividir ciertas partes de la oración (las aposiciones, las cláusulas adjetivas, los elementos de las listas y las cláusulas desplazadas por hipérbaton), y en matemática para separar los decimales. | Forma cóncava o convexa que toma la superficie de ciertos objetos o sólidos cuando se curvan o encorvan, como ocurre con la madera, algunas láminas de metal, etc. |
Where the eye mixes coma and comba
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: coma vs comba
A purely visual mix-up. coma ([ˈkoma]) and comba ([ˈkõmba]) 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 54004, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
coma is recorded at frequency rank #5,703, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkoma]. comba is at rank #48,301, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkõmba].
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 54004, this pair ranks #85,246 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of coma vs comba
Shared letters: acmo. Private to "coma": -. Private to "comba": b.
"coma" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "comba" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "coma" for "comba" ever safe?
Which is more common, "coma" or "comba"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "coma" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "comba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #85,246 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "coma" and "comba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chimba vs comba". 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 #85,246 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.