espaldavsEspartaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: espalda is a noun, Esparta is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“espalda” is a noun and “Esparta” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,985
“espalda” frequency rank
#16,842
“Esparta” frequency rank
18827
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature espalda Esparta
Definition Parte posterior del cuerpo humano que va de la base del cuello y hombros al trasero. Está opuesta al pecho y su altura viene dada por la columna vertebral o espinal dorsal. Su anchura va en función de la caja torácica y los hombros. Pequeña ciudad de la Laconia, Grecia, situada actualmente en el mismo lugar de la histórica.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set espalda and Esparta apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
espalda
7 ch
Esparta

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: espalda is [esˈpal̪d̪a] while Esparta is [esˈpaɾt̪a]. 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 (noun vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18827, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

espalda is recorded at frequency rank #1,985, classified as anoun, pronounced [esˈpal̪d̪a]. Esparta is at rank #16,842, tagged as aname, pronounced [esˈpaɾt̪a].

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 18827, this pair ranks #266,306 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of espalda vs Esparta

Shared letters: aeps. Private to "espalda": dl. Private to "Esparta": rt.

"espalda" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV  ·  "Esparta" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • espaldaepsalda · esaplda · espadla · espalad · espaldda · espallda · esplada · esppalda
  • Espartaepsarta · esaprta · esparat · esparrta · espartta · espatra · espparta · esprata

Frequency comparison

espalda#1,985
Esparta#16,842

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "espalda" and "Esparta" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "espalda" is a noun and "Esparta" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "espalda" or "Esparta"?
"espalda" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,985 in our Spanish list, against #16,842 for "Esparta". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering espalda vs Esparta

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “espalda”; for a name, it's “Esparta”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “espalda” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list