Which to use
“desmayar” and “destacar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #48,350
- “desmayar” frequency rank
- #3,479
- “destacar” frequency rank
- 51829
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | desmayar | destacar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Causar desmayo. | Poner de relieve, resaltar, llamar la atención. |
Where the eye mixes desmayar and destacar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. desmayar (CVCCVVVC) and destacar (CVCCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between desmayar and destacar
A purely visual mix-up. desmayar ([d̪esmaˈʝaɾ]) and destacar ([d̪est̪aˈkaɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51829, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
desmayar is recorded at frequency rank #48,350, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪esmaˈʝaɾ]. destacar is at rank #3,479, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪est̪aˈkaɾ].
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 51829, this pair ranks #95,836 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of desmayar vs destacar
Shared letters: aders. Private to "desmayar": my. Private to "destacar": ct.
"desmayar" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVVC · "destacar" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "desmayar" for "destacar" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "desmayar" or "destacar" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "desmayar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "destacar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #95,836 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "desmayar" and "destacar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "desmayar vs desmayos". 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 #95,836 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.