Which to use
“eterno” and “externa” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,509
- “eterno” frequency rank
- #5,618
- “externa” frequency rank
- 11127
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | eterno | externa |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que no tuvo principio ni tendrá fin | Forma del femenino singular de externo. |
Where the eye mixes eterno and externa
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. eterno runs 6 letters (VCVCCV) against externa's 7 (VCCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between eterno and externa
A purely visual mix-up. eterno ([eˈt̪eɾno]) 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 differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11127, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
eterno is recorded at frequency rank #5,509, classified as anadj, pronounced [eˈt̪eɾno]. 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 11127, this pair ranks #296,172 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of eterno vs externa
Shared letters: enrt. Private to "eterno": o. Private to "externa": ax.
"eterno" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV · "externa" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "eterno" and "externa" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "eterno" or "externa"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "eterno" and "externa" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "eterno" 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 #296,172 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "eterno" and "externa" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "enterró vs eterno". 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 #296,172 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.