erradavsespadaTell them apart

Quick tell: errada is a participle, espada is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“errada” is a participle and “espada” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#34,101
“errada” frequency rank
#3,781
“espada” frequency rank
37882
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature errada espada
Definition Forma del femenino de errado, participio de errar. Arma blanca que consiste en una hoja de metal larga, aguda y cortante; guarnición y empuñadura.

Where the eye mixes errada and espada

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
errada
6 ch
espada

Look-alike desk: errada vs espada

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: errada is [eˈrað̞a] while espada is [esˈpað̞a]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (participle vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37882, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

errada is recorded at frequency rank #34,101, classified as aparticiple, pronounced [eˈrað̞a]. espada is at rank #3,781, tagged as anoun, pronounced [esˈpað̞a].

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 37882, this pair ranks #172,974 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of errada vs espada

Shared letters: ade. Private to "errada": r. Private to "espada": ps.

"errada" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV  ·  "espada" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erradaerada · erarda · erraad · erradda · errdaa · rerada
  • espadaepsada · esapda · espaad · espadda · espdaa · esppada · esspada · sepada

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "errada" and "espada" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "errada" is a participle and "espada" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "errada" or "espada"?
"espada" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,781 in our Spanish list, against #34,101 for "errada". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "errada" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "espada" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #172,974 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "errada" and "espada" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "errada vs erratas". 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 #172,974 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