hallanvshallarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,652
“hallan” frequency rank
#8,266
“hallar” frequency rank
17918
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature hallan hallar
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de hallar o de hallarse. Dar con algo o alguien voluntariamente porque se le buscaba.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
hallan
6 ch
hallar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. hallan ([ˈaʝãn]) and hallar ([aˈʝaɾ]) 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 - n in “hallan” becomes r in “hallar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17918, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

hallan is recorded at frequency rank #9,652, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈaʝãn]. hallar is at rank #8,266, tagged as averb, pronounced [aˈʝaɾ].

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 17918, this pair ranks #270,100 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of hallan vs hallar

Shared letters: ahl. Private to "hallan": n. Private to "hallar": r.

"hallan" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "hallar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • hallanahllan · halaln · halan · hallann · hallna · hhallan · hlalan
  • hallarahllar · halalr · halar · hallarr · hallra · hhallar · hlalar

Frequency comparison

hallan#9,652
hallar#8,266

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "hallan" and "hallar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaʝãn] versus [aˈʝaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "hallan" or "hallar"?
"hallar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,266 in our Spanish list, against #9,652 for "hallan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering hallan vs hallar

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 “hallan” 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