derramarvsderrumbarTell them apart

Which to use

“derramar” and “derrumbar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#22,652
“derramar” frequency rank
#40,237
“derrumbar” frequency rank
62889
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature derramar derrumbar
Definition Verter, esparcir cosas líquidas o menudas. Precipitar, despeñar.

Where the eye mixes derramar and derrumbar

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. derramar runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against derrumbar's 9 (CVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
derramar
9 ch
derrumbar

Visual trap between derramar and derrumbar

A purely visual mix-up. derramar ([d̪eraˈmaɾ]) and derrumbar ([d̪erũmˈbaɾ]) 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 62889, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

derramar is recorded at frequency rank #22,652, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪eraˈmaɾ]. derrumbar is at rank #40,237, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪erũmˈbaɾ].

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 62889, this pair ranks #50,542 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of derramar vs derrumbar

Shared letters: ademr. Private to "derramar": -. Private to "derrumbar": bu.

"derramar" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "derrumbar" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • derramar ← dderramar · deramar · derarmar · derraamr · derramarr · derrammar · derramra · derrmaar
  • derrumbar ← dderrumbar · derrmubar · derrubmar · derrumabr · derrumbarr · derrumbbar · derrumbra · derrummbar

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "derramar" for "derrumbar" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([d̪eraˈmaɾ] versus [d̪erũmˈbaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "derramar" or "derrumbar"?
"derramar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,652 in our Spanish list, against #40,237 for "derrumbar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "derramar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "derrumbar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #50,542 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "derramar" and "derrumbar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "derrumbar vs derrumbarse". 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 #50,542 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list