Which to use
“fijar” and “fumar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,802
- “fijar” frequency rank
- #4,009
- “fumar” frequency rank
- 12811
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | fijar | fumar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Poner una cosa de tal forma que no se mueva. | Despedir humo. |
Where the eye mixes fijar and fumar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between fijar and fumar
A purely visual mix-up. fijar ([fiˈxaɾ]) and fumar ([fuˈmaɾ]) 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 12811, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
fijar is recorded at frequency rank #8,802, classified as averb, pronounced [fiˈxaɾ]. fumar is at rank #4,009, tagged as averb, pronounced [fuˈmaɾ].
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 12811, this pair ranks #290,167 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of fijar vs fumar
Shared letters: afr. Private to "fijar": ij. Private to "fumar": mu.
"fijar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "fumar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "fijar" for "fumar" ever safe?
Which is more common, "fijar" or "fumar"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "fijar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "fumar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #290,167 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "fijar" and "fumar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "fijar vs fijará". 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 #290,167 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.