detallarvsdetalleTell them apart

Quick tell: detallar is a verb, detalle is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“detallar” is a verb and “detalle” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#33,545
“detallar” frequency rank
#2,493
“detalle” frequency rank
36038
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature detallar detalle
Definition Proveer de atributos artísticos o decorativos. Descripción o inventario minucioso de alguna cosa.

Where the eye mixes detallar and detalle

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. detallar runs 8 letters (CVCVCCVC) against detalle's 7 (CVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
detallar
7 ch
detalle

Visual trap between detallar and detalle

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: detallar is [d̪et̪aˈʝaɾ] while detalle is [d̪eˈt̪aʝe]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36038, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

detallar is recorded at frequency rank #33,545, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪et̪aˈʝaɾ]. detalle is at rank #2,493, tagged as anoun, pronounced [d̪eˈt̪aʝe].

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 36038, this pair ranks #182,823 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of detallar vs detalle

Shared letters: adelt. Private to "detallar": r. Private to "detalle": -.

"detallar" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC  ·  "detalle" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • detallar ← ddetallar · deatllar · detalalr · detalar · detallarr · detallra · detlalar · dettallar
  • detalle ← ddetalle · deatlle · detale · detalel · detlale · dettalle · dtealle · edtalle

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "detallar" and "detalle" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "detallar" is a verb and "detalle" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "detallar" or "detalle"?
"detalle" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,493 in our Spanish list, against #33,545 for "detallar". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

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 "detallar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "detalle" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #182,823 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "detallar" and "detalle" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "detallan vs detallar". 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 #182,823 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