Which to use
“eternal” and “externa” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,083
- “eternal” frequency rank
- #5,618
- “externa” frequency rank
- 42701
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | eternal | externa |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Eterno. | Forma del femenino singular de externo. |
Where the eye mixes eternal and externa
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. eternal (VCVCCVC) and externa (VCCVCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between eternal and externa
A purely visual mix-up. eternal (/ɪˈtɜː.nəl/) and externa ([eksˈt̪eɾna]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 6 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42701, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
eternal is recorded at frequency rank #37,083, classified as anadj, pronounced /ɪˈtɜː.nəl/. externa is at rank #5,618, tagged as anadj, pronounced [eksˈt̪eɾna].
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 42701, this pair ranks #146,761 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of eternal vs externa
Shared letters: aenrt. Private to "eternal": l. Private to "externa": x.
"eternal" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC · "externa" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "eternal" and "externa" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "eternal" or "externa"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "eternal" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "externa" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #146,761 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "eternal" and "externa" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "eternal vs eternas". 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 #146,761 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.