filónvsfloConfusable pair

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

Which to use

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

#42,452
“filón” frequency rank
#33,131
“flo” frequency rank
75583
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature filón flo
Definition Masa metálifera o pétrea que llena una grieta de las rocas, frecuentemente depositada por sedimentación de aguas subterráneas o de origen volcánico. Dicho del viento: soplar.

Where the eye mixes filón and flo

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. filón runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against flo's 3 (CCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
filón
3 ch
flo

Visual trap between filón and flo

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: filón is [fiˈlõn] while flo is /ˈfloː/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 75583, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

filón is recorded at frequency rank #42,452, classified as anoun, pronounced [fiˈlõn]. flo is at rank #33,131, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈfloː/.

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 75583, this pair ranks #19,255 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of filón vs flo

Shared letters: fl. Private to "filón": inó. Private to "flo": o.

"filón" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "flo" · 3 letters · shape CCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "filón" for "flo" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "filón" is a noun and "flo" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "filón" or "flo"?
"flo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #33,131 in our Spanish list, against #42,452 for "filón". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "filón" and "flo" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "filón" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "flo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #19,255 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "filón" and "flo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "filón vs filos". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #19,255 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