fichavsfilmaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: ficha is a noun, filma is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ficha” is a noun and “filma” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#6,062
“ficha” frequency rank
#33,608
“filma” frequency rank
39670
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ficha filma
Definition Pieza pequeña, cilíndrica y chata similar a una moneda que tiene valor dentro de un circuito cerrado, como por ejemplo, un casino, un lavedero de autos, una sala de juegos, etc. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de filmar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ficha and filma apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
ficha
5 ch
filma

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ficha is [ˈfit͡ʃa] while filma is [ˈfilma]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39670, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ficha is recorded at frequency rank #6,062, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfit͡ʃa]. filma is at rank #33,608, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈfilma].

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 39670, this pair ranks #163,278 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ficha vs filma

Shared letters: afi. Private to "ficha": ch. Private to "filma": lm.

"ficha" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "filma" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fichafciha · fficha · ficah · ficcha · fichha · fihca · ifcha
  • filmaffilma · filam · fillma · filmma · fimla · flima · iflma

Frequency comparison

ficha#6,062
filma#33,608

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ficha" and "filma" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ficha" is a noun and "filma" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ficha" or "filma"?
"ficha" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,062 in our Spanish list, against #33,608 for "filma". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ficha vs filma

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “ficha”; for a verb, it's “filma”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ficha” 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