Which to use
“enferma” is an adjective and “enferman” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,994
- “enferma” frequency rank
- #36,555
- “enferman” frequency rank
- 41549
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | enferma | enferman |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del femenino singular de enfermo. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de enfermar. |
Where the eye mixes enferma and enferman
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. enferma runs 7 letters (VCCVCCV) against enferman's 8 (VCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses enferma with enferman
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: enferma is [ẽɱˈfeɾma] while enferman is [ẽɱˈfeɾmãn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “enferma” sits inside “enferman”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41549, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
enferma is recorded at frequency rank #4,994, classified as anadj, pronounced [ẽɱˈfeɾma]. enferman is at rank #36,555, tagged as averb, pronounced [ẽɱˈfeɾmãn].
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 41549, this pair ranks #153,061 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of enferma vs enferman
Shared letters: aefmnr. Private to "enferma": -. Private to "enferman": -.
"enferma" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV · "enferman" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "enferma" and "enferman" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "enferma" or "enferman"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "enferma" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "enferman" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #153,061 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "enferma" and "enferman" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "enferman vs enfermar". 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 #153,061 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.