faltanvsflotanConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#3,323
“faltan” frequency rank
#38,714
“flotan” frequency rank
42037
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature faltan flotan
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de faltar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de flotar.

Where the eye mixes faltan and flotan

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. faltan (CVCCVC) and flotan (CCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

6 ch
faltan
6 ch
flotan

Why the eye confuses faltan with flotan

A purely visual mix-up. faltan ([ˈfal̪t̪ãn]) and flotan ([ˈflot̪ãn]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42037, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

faltan is recorded at frequency rank #3,323, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfal̪t̪ãn]. flotan is at rank #38,714, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈflot̪ãn].

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 42037, this pair ranks #150,432 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of faltan vs flotan

Shared letters: aflnt. Private to "faltan": -. Private to "flotan": o.

"faltan" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "flotan" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • faltan ← afltan · falatn · falltan · faltann · faltna · falttan · fatlan · ffaltan
  • flotan ← fflotan · fllotan · floatn · flotann · flotna · flottan · fltoan · foltan

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "faltan" and "flotan" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfal̪t̪ãn] versus [ˈflot̪ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "faltan" or "flotan"?
"faltan" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,323 in our Spanish list, against #38,714 for "flotan". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "faltan" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "flotan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #150,432 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "faltan" and "flotan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "flojas vs flotan". 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 #150,432 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list