distavsdistraeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#19,999
“dista” frequency rank
#28,339
“distrae” frequency rank
48338
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dista distrae
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de distar. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de distraer o de distraerse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dista and distrae apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
dista
7 ch
distrae

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. dista ([ˈd̪ist̪a]) and distrae ([d̪isˈt̪ɾae]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48338, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dista is recorded at frequency rank #19,999, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈd̪ist̪a]. distrae is at rank #28,339, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪isˈt̪ɾae].

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 48338, this pair ranks #115,047 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of dista vs distrae

Shared letters: adist. Private to "dista": -. Private to "distrae": er.

"dista" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "distrae" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • distaddista · disat · dissta · distta · ditsa · dsita · idsta
  • distraeddistrae · disrtae · disstrae · distare · distrea · distrrae · disttrae · ditsrae

Frequency comparison

dista#19,999
distrae#28,339

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dista" and "distrae" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈd̪ist̪a] versus [d̪isˈt̪ɾae]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "dista" or "distrae"?
"dista" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,999 in our Spanish list, against #28,339 for "distrae". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering dista vs distrae

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 “dista” 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