Which to use
“grabe” is a verb and “grata” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #35,533
- “grabe” frequency rank
- #17,157
- “grata” frequency rank
- 52690
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | grabe | grata |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de grabar. | Instrumento, generalmente usado por plateros y joyeros, que consiste en una escobilla de metal y sirve para dar lustre, limpiar, raspar o bruñir objetos, en particular los de color dorado y plateado. |
Where the eye mixes grabe and grata
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses grabe with grata
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: grabe is [ˈgɾaβ̞e] while grata is [ˈgɾat̪a]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52690, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
grabe is recorded at frequency rank #35,533, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈgɾaβ̞e]. grata is at rank #17,157, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈgɾat̪a].
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 52690, this pair ranks #91,504 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of grabe vs grata
Shared letters: agr. Private to "grabe": be. Private to "grata": t.
"grabe" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "grata" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "grabe" for "grata" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "grabe" or "grata" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "grabe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "grata" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #91,504 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "grabe" and "grata" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "grabe vs grana". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #91,504 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.