Which to use
“espadas” and “espaldas” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,497
- “espadas” frequency rank
- #5,723
- “espaldas” frequency rank
- 16220
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | espadas | espaldas |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | En el juego de naipes con baraja española, nombre del palo que contiene representaciones de espadas. | Forma del plural de espalda. |
Where the eye mixes espadas and espaldas
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses espadas with espaldas
A purely visual mix-up. espadas ([esˈpað̞as]) and espaldas ([esˈpal̪d̪as]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16220, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
espadas is recorded at frequency rank #10,497, classified as anoun, pronounced [esˈpað̞as]. espaldas is at rank #5,723, tagged as anoun, pronounced [esˈpal̪d̪as].
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 16220, this pair ranks #277,025 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of espadas vs espaldas
Shared letters: adeps. Private to "espadas": -. Private to "espaldas": l.
"espadas" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "espaldas" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "espadas" for "espaldas" ever safe?
Which is more common, "espadas" or "espaldas"?
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 "espadas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "espaldas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #277,025 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "espadas" and "espaldas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "espadas vs estacas". 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 #277,025 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.