Which to use
“eternas” is an adjective and “externas” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,668
- “eternas” frequency rank
- #8,953
- “externas” frequency rank
- 30621
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | eternas | externas |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del femenino plural de eterno. | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de externar. |
Where the eye mixes eternas and externas
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. eternas runs 7 letters (VCVCCVC) against externas's 8 (VCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between eternas and externas
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: eternas is [eˈt̪eɾnas] while externas is [eksˈt̪eɾnas]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30621, 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]. externas is at rank #8,953, tagged as averb, pronounced [eksˈt̪eɾnas].
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 30621, this pair ranks #211,102 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of eternas vs externas
Shared letters: aenrst. Private to "eternas": -. Private to "externas": x.
"eternas" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC · "externas" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "eternas" and "externas" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "eternas" or "externas" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "eternas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "externas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #211,102 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "eternas" and "externas" 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 #211,102 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.