desvelarvsdevelarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#36,527
“desvelar” frequency rank
#49,580
“develar” frequency rank
86107
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature desvelar develar
Definition Quitar o impedir el sueño, no dejar dormir. Quitar o descorrer el velo que cubre alguna cosa.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set desvelar and develar apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
desvelar
7 ch
develar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. desvelar ([d̪esβ̞eˈlaɾ]) and develar ([d̪eβ̞eˈlaɾ]) 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 86107, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

desvelar is recorded at frequency rank #36,527, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪esβ̞eˈlaɾ]. develar is at rank #49,580, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪eβ̞eˈlaɾ].

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 86107, this pair ranks #5,550 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of desvelar vs develar

Shared letters: adelrv. Private to "desvelar": s. Private to "develar": -.

"desvelar" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "develar" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • desvelarddesvelar · desbelar · desevlar · dessvelar · desvealr · desvelarr · desvellar · desvelra
  • develarddevelar · debelar · deevlar · devealr · develarr · devellar · develra · devlear

Frequency comparison

desvelar#36,527
develar#49,580

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "desvelar" and "develar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪esβ̞eˈlaɾ] versus [d̪eβ̞eˈlaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "desvelar" or "develar"?
"desvelar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,527 in our Spanish list, against #49,580 for "develar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering desvelar vs develar

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “desvelar” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list