grabavsgrabeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,052
“graba” frequency rank
#35,533
“grabe” frequency rank
48585
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature graba grabe
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de grabar. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de grabar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
graba
5 ch
grabe

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. graba ([ˈgɾaβ̞a]) and grabe ([ˈgɾaβ̞e]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - a in “graba” becomes e in “grabe”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48585, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

graba is recorded at frequency rank #13,052, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈgɾaβ̞a]. grabe is at rank #35,533, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈgɾaβ̞e].

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 48585, this pair ranks #113,659 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of graba vs grabe

Shared letters: abgr. Private to "graba": -. Private to "grabe": e.

"graba" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV  ·  "grabe" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • grabagarba · ggraba · graab · grabba · grbaa · grraba · rgaba
  • grabegarbe · ggrabe · grabbe · graeb · grbae · grrabe · rgabe

Frequency comparison

graba#13,052
grabe#35,533

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "graba" and "grabe" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈgɾaβ̞a] versus [ˈgɾaβ̞e]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "graba" or "grabe"?
"graba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,052 in our Spanish list, against #35,533 for "grabe". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering graba vs grabe

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “graba” 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