eternasvsexternaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“eternas” and “externa” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#21,668
“eternas” frequency rank
#5,618
“externa” frequency rank
27286
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature eternas externa
Definition Forma del femenino plural de eterno. Forma del femenino singular de externo.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set eternas and externa apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
eternas
7 ch
externa

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. eternas ([eˈt̪eɾnas]) 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 27286, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

eternas is recorded at frequency rank #21,668, classified as anadj, pronounced [eˈt̪eɾnas]. 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 27286, this pair ranks #227,562 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of eternas vs externa

Shared letters: aenrt. Private to "eternas": s. Private to "externa": x.

"eternas" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC  ·  "externa" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • eternaseetrnas · etenras · eterans · eternass · eternnas · eternsa · eterrnas · etrenas
  • externaetxerna · exetrna · extenra · exteran · externna · exterrna · extrena · extterna

Frequency comparison

eternas#21,668
externa#5,618

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "eternas" and "externa" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([eˈt̪eɾnas] versus [eksˈt̪eɾna]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "eternas" or "externa"?
"externa" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,618 in our Spanish list, against #21,668 for "eternas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering eternas vs externa

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “eternas” 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