Which to use
“extra” is a noun and “extrema” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,714
- “extra” frequency rank
- #3,921
- “extrema” frequency rank
- 6635
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | extra | extrema |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Actor que no tiene gran importancia en la pantalla, solo aparece de fondo y no pronuncia ningún diálogo. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de extremar. |
Where the eye mixes extra and extrema
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses extra with extrema
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: extra is [ˈekst̪ɾa] while extrema is [eksˈt̪ɾema]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6635, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
extra is recorded at frequency rank #2,714, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈekst̪ɾa]. extrema is at rank #3,921, tagged as averb, pronounced [eksˈt̪ɾema].
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 6635, this pair ranks #310,206 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of extra vs extrema
Shared letters: aertx. Private to "extra": -. Private to "extrema": m.
"extra" · 5 letters · shape VCCCV · "extrema" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "extra" for "extrema" ever safe?
Which is more common, "extra" or "extrema"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "extra" and "extrema" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "extra" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "extrema" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #310,206 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "extra" and "extrema" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "extrema vs extremeña". 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 #310,206 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.