efectivavsefectivasWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#3,840
“efectiva” frequency rank
#11,959
“efectivas” frequency rank
15799
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature efectiva efectivas
Definition Forma del femenino de efectivo. Forma del femenino plural de efectivo.

Where the eye mixes efectiva and efectivas

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.

8 ch
efectiva
9 ch
efectivas

Why the eye confuses efectiva with efectivas

A purely visual mix-up. efectiva ([efekˈt̪iβ̞a]) and efectivas ([efekˈt̪iβ̞as]) 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 extra letter(s) - “efectiva” sits inside “efectivas”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15799, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

efectiva is recorded at frequency rank #3,840, classified as anadj, pronounced [efekˈt̪iβ̞a]. efectivas is at rank #11,959, tagged as anadj, pronounced [efekˈt̪iβ̞as].

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 15799, this pair ranks #278,731 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of efectiva vs efectivas

Shared letters: acefitv. Private to "efectiva": -. Private to "efectivas": s.

"efectiva" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCV  ·  "efectivas" · 9 letters · shape VCVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • efectivaeefctiva · efcetiva · efecctiva · efecitva · efectiav · efectiba · efectivva · efecttiva
  • efectivaseefctivas · efcetivas · efecctivas · efecitvas · efectiavs · efectibas · efectivass · efectivsa

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "efectiva" and "efectivas" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([efekˈt̪iβ̞a] versus [efekˈt̪iβ̞as]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "efectiva" vs "efectivas" - which ranks higher?
"efectiva" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,840 in our Spanish list, against #11,959 for "efectivas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "efectiva" and "efectivas" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "efectiva" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "efectivas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #278,731 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "efectiva" and "efectivas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "efectivas vs ejecutivas". 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 #278,731 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