Which to use
“dispensa” is a noun and “dispersa” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #45,877
- “dispensa” frequency rank
- #23,760
- “dispersa” frequency rank
- 69637
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dispensa | dispersa |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Excepción al cumplimiento de una norma general que una autoridad concede graciosamente a alguien. Se una más comúnmente para referirse a las que el papa o los obispos conceden a los fieles católicos. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de dispersar. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dispensa and dispersa apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
dispensa and dispersa form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - n in “dispensa” becomes r in “dispersa” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 69637, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dispensa is recorded at frequency rank #45,877, classified as anoun, pronounced [d̪isˈpẽnsa]. dispersa is at rank #23,760, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪isˈpeɾsa].
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 69637, this pair ranks #31,544 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dispensa" and "dispersa" be used interchangeably?
Remembering dispensa vs dispersa
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “dispensa”; for a verb, it's “dispersa”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dispensa” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable