einvseyWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: ein is a num, ey is an intj, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ein” is a num and “ey” is an intj - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#36,010
“ein” frequency rank
#13,044
“ey” frequency rank
49054
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ein ey
Definition Un uno. Se usa para llamar sobre sí mismo la atención de otra persona.

Where the eye mixes ein and ey

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

3 ch
ein
2 ch
ey

Visual trap between ein and ey

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ein is [aɪ̯n] while ey is [ˈej]. 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 (num vs intj), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49054, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ein is recorded at frequency rank #36,010, classified as anum, pronounced [aɪ̯n]. ey is at rank #13,044, tagged as anintj, pronounced [ˈej].

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 49054, this pair ranks #110,972 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ein vs ey

Shared letters: e. Private to "ein": in. Private to "ey": y.

"ein" · 3 letters · shape VVC  ·  "ey" · 2 letters · shape VV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "ein" for "ey" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ein" is a num and "ey" an intj, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "ein" or "ey" show up more?
"ey" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,044 in our Spanish list, against #36,010 for "ein". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "ein" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "ey" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #110,972 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "ein" and "ey" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ein vs EPL". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #110,972 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