Which to use
“dela” is a contraction and “depa” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #20,645
- “dela” frequency rank
- #41,846
- “depa” frequency rank
- 62491
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dela | depa |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Contracción de la preposición de y el artículo la | Departamento |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dela and depa apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dela is /ˈde.la/ while depa is [ˈd̪epa]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - l in “dela” becomes p in “depa”, and the parts of speech differ too (contraction vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62491, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dela is recorded at frequency rank #20,645, classified as acontraction, pronounced /ˈde.la/. depa is at rank #41,846, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈd̪epa].
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 62491, this pair ranks #51,856 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of dela vs depa
Shared letters: ade. Private to "dela": l. Private to "depa": p.
"dela" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "depa" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dela" and "depa" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "dela" or "depa"?
Remembering dela vs depa
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a contraction, it's “dela”; for a noun, it's “depa”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dela” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable