imánvsinaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: imán is a noun, ina is a contraction, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“imán” is a noun and “ina” is a contraction - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#15,122
“imán” frequency rank
#37,663
“ina” frequency rank
52785
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature imán ina
Definition Piedra hecha de óxido de hierro natural que tiene la propiedad de atraer los objetos hechos de fierro o acero. Contracción de la preposición in y el adjetivo posesivo a

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set imán and ina apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
imán
3 ch
ina

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: imán is [iˈmãn] while ina is [ˈɪnˠə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs contraction), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52785, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

imán is recorded at frequency rank #15,122, classified as anoun, pronounced [iˈmãn]. ina is at rank #37,663, tagged as acontraction, pronounced [ˈɪnˠə].

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 52785, this pair ranks #91,015 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of imán vs ina

Shared letters: in. Private to "imán": . Private to "ina": a.

"imán" · 4 letters · shape VCVC  ·  "ina" · 3 letters · shape VCV

Frequency comparison

imán#15,122
ina#37,663

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "imán" and "ina" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "imán" is a noun and "ina" a contraction, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "imán" or "ina"?
"imán" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,122 in our Spanish list, against #37,663 for "ina". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering imán vs ina

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “imán”; for a contraction, it's “ina”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “imán” 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