Which to use
“espada” and “espasa” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,781
- “espada” frequency rank
- #30,893
- “espasa” frequency rank
- 34674
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | espada | espasa |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Arma blanca que consiste en una hoja de metal larga, aguda y cortante; guarnición y empuñadura. | Espada. |
Where the eye mixes espada and espasa
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. espada and espasa follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: espada vs espasa
A purely visual mix-up. espada ([esˈpað̞a]) and espasa ([əsˈpa.zə]) 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 a single letter - d in “espada” becomes s in “espasa”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34674, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
espada is recorded at frequency rank #3,781, classified as anoun, pronounced [esˈpað̞a]. espasa is at rank #30,893, tagged as anoun, pronounced [əsˈpa.zə].
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 34674, this pair ranks #190,198 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of espada vs espasa
Shared letters: aeps. Private to "espada": d. Private to "espasa": -.
"espada" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "espasa" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "espada" for "espasa" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "espada" or "espasa" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "espada" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "espasa" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #190,198 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "espada" and "espasa" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "escasea vs espasa". 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 #190,198 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.