grabavsgravarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,052
“graba” frequency rank
#33,634
“gravar” frequency rank
46686
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature graba gravar
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de grabar. Cargar, pesar sobre una persona o cosa.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
graba
6 ch
gravar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. graba ([ˈgɾaβ̞a]) and gravar ([gɾaˈβ̞aɾ]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46686, 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]. gravar is at rank #33,634, tagged as averb, pronounced [gɾaˈβ̞aɾ].

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 46686, this pair ranks #124,354 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of graba vs gravar

Shared letters: agr. Private to "graba": b. Private to "gravar": v.

"graba" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV  ·  "gravar" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • grabagarba · ggraba · graab · grabba · grbaa · grraba · rgaba
  • gravargarvar · ggravar · graavr · gravarr · gravra · gravvar · grravar · grvaar

Frequency comparison

graba#13,052
gravar#33,634

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "graba" and "gravar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈgɾaβ̞a] versus [gɾaˈβ̞aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "graba" or "gravar"?
"graba" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,052 in our Spanish list, against #33,634 for "gravar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering graba vs gravar

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list