grabarvsgravarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#4,340
“grabar” frequency rank
#33,634
“gravar” frequency rank
37974
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature grabar gravar
Definition Labrar —en relieve o en hueco— sobre una superficie dura algún símbolo, señal, texto, figura o representación. Cargar, pesar sobre una persona o cosa.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
grabar
6 ch
gravar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. grabar and gravar are pronounced identically ([gɾaˈβ̞aɾ]) and both work as averb. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by a single letter - b in “grabar” becomes v in “gravar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37974, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

grabar is recorded at frequency rank #4,340, classified as averb, pronounced [gɾaˈβ̞aɾ]. 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 37974, this pair ranks #172,477 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of grabar vs gravar

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

"grabar" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC  ·  "gravar" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • grabargarbar · ggrabar · graabr · grabarr · grabbar · grabra · grbaar · grrabar
  • gravargarvar · ggravar · graavr · gravarr · gravra · gravvar · grravar · grvaar

Frequency comparison

grabar#4,340
gravar#33,634

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "grabar" and "gravar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are pronounced the same ([gɾaˈβ̞aɾ]), which is exactly why they get swapped in writing, but the dictionary meanings above are different, and pronunciation is no guide here.
Which is more common, "grabar" or "gravar"?
"grabar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,340 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 grabar 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 “grabar” 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