figuranvsfigureWhich spelling fits?

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

Which to use

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

#10,343
“figuran” frequency rank
#30,479
“figure” frequency rank
40822
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature figuran figure
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de figurar. Figura.

Where the eye mixes figuran and figure

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

7 ch
figuran
6 ch
figure

Look-alike desk: figuran vs figure

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: figuran is [fiˈɣ̞uɾãn] while figure is /fi.ɡyʁ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40822, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

figuran is recorded at frequency rank #10,343, classified as averb, pronounced [fiˈɣ̞uɾãn]. figure is at rank #30,479, tagged as anoun, pronounced /fi.ɡyʁ/.

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 40822, this pair ranks #157,008 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of figuran vs figure

Shared letters: fgiru. Private to "figuran": an. Private to "figure": e.

"figuran" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "figure" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • figuranffiguran · fgiuran · figguran · figruan · figuarn · figurann · figurna · figurran
  • figureffigure · fgiure · figgure · figrue · figuer · figurre · fiugre · ifgure

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "figuran" and "figure" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "figuran" is a verb and "figure" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "figuran" or "figure"?
"figuran" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,343 in our Spanish list, against #30,479 for "figure". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "figuran" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "figure" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #157,008 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "figuran" and "figure" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "figure vs fisura". 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 #157,008 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