figuranvsfisuraTell them apart

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

Which to use

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

#10,343
“figuran” frequency rank
#27,993
“fisura” frequency rank
38336
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature figuran fisura
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de figurar. Hendidura alargada que se produce en algo.

Where the eye mixes figuran and fisura

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. figuran runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against fisura's 6 (CVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
figuran
6 ch
fisura

Why the eye confuses figuran with fisura

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: figuran is [fiˈɣ̞uɾãn] while fisura is [fiˈsuɾa]. 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 38336, 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]. fisura is at rank #27,993, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fiˈsuɾa].

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 38336, this pair ranks #170,588 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of figuran vs fisura

Shared letters: afiru. Private to "figuran": gn. Private to "fisura": s.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • figuran ← ffiguran · fgiuran · figguran · figruan · figuarn · figurann · figurna · figurran
  • fisura ← ffisura · fisrua · fissura · fisuar · fisurra · fiusra · fsiura · ifsura

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "figuran" and "fisura" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "figuran" is a verb and "fisura" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "figuran" or "fisura"?
"figuran" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,343 in our Spanish list, against #27,993 for "fisura". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "figuran" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "fisura" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #170,588 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "figuran" and "fisura" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fijará 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 #170,588 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