figurarvsfiltrarTell them apart

Which to use

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

#18,836
“figurar” frequency rank
#16,339
“filtrar” frequency rank
35175
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature figurar filtrar
Definition Disponer, delinear y formar la figura de una cosa. Hacer pasar un líquido por un filtro.

Where the eye mixes figurar and filtrar

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

7 ch
figurar
7 ch
filtrar

Visual trap between figurar and filtrar

A purely visual mix-up. figurar ([fiɣ̞uˈɾaɾ]) and filtrar ([fil̪ˈt̪ɾaɾ]) 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 35175, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

figurar is recorded at frequency rank #18,836, classified as averb, pronounced [fiɣ̞uˈɾaɾ]. filtrar is at rank #16,339, tagged as averb, pronounced [fil̪ˈt̪ɾaɾ].

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 35175, this pair ranks #187,497 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of figurar vs filtrar

Shared letters: afir. Private to "figurar": gu. Private to "filtrar": lt.

"figurar" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "filtrar" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • figurar ← ffigurar · fgiurar · figgurar · figruar · figuarr · figurarr · figurrar · fiugrar
  • filtrar ← ffiltrar · filltrar · filrtar · filtarr · filtrarr · filtrra · filtrrar · filttrar

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "figurar" for "filtrar" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([fiɣ̞uˈɾaɾ] versus [fil̪ˈt̪ɾaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "figurar" or "filtrar"?
"filtrar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,339 in our Spanish list, against #18,836 for "figurar". 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 "figurar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "filtrar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #187,497 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "figurar" and "filtrar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "filtrar vs filtraron". 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 #187,497 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