flotavsflotanWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#4,898
“flota” frequency rank
#38,714
“flotan” frequency rank
43612
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature flota flotan
Definition Conjunto de naves destinadas al transporte y el comercio. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de flotar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set flota and flotan apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
flota
6 ch
flotan

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: flota is [ˈflot̪a] while flotan is [ˈflot̪ãn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “flota” sits inside “flotan”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43612, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

flota is recorded at frequency rank #4,898, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈflot̪a]. flotan is at rank #38,714, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈflot̪ãn].

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 43612, this pair ranks #141,719 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of flota vs flotan

Shared letters: aflot. Private to "flota": -. Private to "flotan": n.

"flota" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV  ·  "flotan" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • flotafflota · fllota · float · flotta · fltoa · folta · lfota
  • flotanfflotan · fllotan · floatn · flotann · flotna · flottan · fltoan · foltan

Frequency comparison

flota#4,898
flotan#38,714

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "flota" and "flotan" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "flota" is a noun and "flotan" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "flota" or "flotan"?
"flota" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,898 in our Spanish list, against #38,714 for "flotan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering flota vs flotan

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “flota”; for a verb, it's “flotan”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “flota” 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