grabavsgrasoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: graba is a verb, graso is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“graba” is a verb and “graso” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#13,052
“graba” frequency rank
#36,072
“graso” frequency rank
49124
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature graba graso
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de grabar. Propio o relacionado con la grasa.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set graba and graso apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
graba
5 ch
graso

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: graba is [ˈgɾaβ̞a] while graso is [ˈgɾaso]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49124, 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]. graso is at rank #36,072, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈgɾaso].

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 49124, this pair ranks #110,592 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of graba vs graso

Shared letters: agr. Private to "graba": b. Private to "graso": os.

"graba" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV  ·  "graso" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • grabagarba · ggraba · graab · grabba · grbaa · grraba · rgaba
  • grasogarso · ggraso · graos · grraso · grsao · rgaso

Frequency comparison

graba#13,052
graso#36,072

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "graba" and "graso" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "graba" is a verb and "graso" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "graba" or "graso"?
"graba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,052 in our Spanish list, against #36,072 for "graso". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering graba vs graso

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “graba”; for an adjective, it's “graso”.
  • 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