fichasvsfilasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,121
“fichas” frequency rank
#4,897
“filas” frequency rank
14018
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature fichas filas
Definition Forma del plural de ficha. Forma del plural de fila.

Where the eye mixes fichas and filas

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. fichas runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against filas's 5 (CVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
fichas
5 ch
filas

Look-alike desk: fichas vs filas

A purely visual mix-up. fichas ([ˈfit͡ʃas]) and filas ([ˈfilas]) 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 14018, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

fichas is recorded at frequency rank #9,121, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈfit͡ʃas]. filas is at rank #4,897, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈfilas].

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 14018, this pair ranks #285,699 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of fichas vs filas

Shared letters: afis. Private to "fichas": ch. Private to "filas": l.

"fichas" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "filas" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • fichas ← fcihas · ffichas · ficahs · ficchas · fichass · fichhas · fichsa · fihcas
  • filas ← ffilas · fials · filass · fillas · filsa · flias · iflas

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "fichas" and "filas" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈfit͡ʃas] versus [ˈfilas]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "fichas" vs "filas" - which ranks higher?
"filas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,897 in our Spanish list, against #9,121 for "fichas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "fichas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "filas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #285,699 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "fichas" and "filas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "filas vs filos". 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 #285,699 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