filmavsflamaWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#33,608
“filma” frequency rank
#48,416
“flama” frequency rank
82024
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature filma flama
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de filmar. Materia gaseosa en combustión, que emite luz o resplandor al elevarse de los cuerpos que arden o se queman en una atmósfera rica en oxígeno.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set filma and flama apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
filma
5 ch
flama

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: filma is [ˈfilma] while flama is [ˈflama]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 82024, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

filma is recorded at frequency rank #33,608, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈfilma]. flama is at rank #48,416, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈflama].

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 82024, this pair ranks #9,685 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of filma vs flama

Shared letters: aflm. Private to "filma": i. Private to "flama": -.

"filma" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "flama" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • filmaffilma · filam · fillma · filmma · fimla · flima · iflma
  • flamafalma · fflama · flaam · flamma · fllama · flmaa · lfama

Frequency comparison

filma#33,608
flama#48,416

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "filma" and "flama" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "filma" is a verb and "flama" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "filma" or "flama"?
"filma" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #33,608 in our Spanish list, against #48,416 for "flama". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering filma vs flama

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “filma”; for a noun, it's “flama”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “filma” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list