imánvsisaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,122
“imán” frequency rank
#17,738
“isa” frequency rank
32860
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature imán isa
Definition Piedra hecha de óxido de hierro natural que tiene la propiedad de atraer los objetos hechos de fierro o acero. Estilo musical vocal, en ritmo de tres cuartos, típico de las Islas Canarias.

Where the eye mixes imán and isa

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

4 ch
imán
3 ch
isa

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. imán ([iˈmãn]) and isa ([ˈisa]) 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 32860, 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]. isa is at rank #17,738, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈisa].

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 32860, this pair ranks #199,818 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of imán vs isa

Shared letters: i. Private to "imán": mná. Private to "isa": as.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "imán" and "isa" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([iˈmãn] versus [ˈisa]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "imán" or "isa"?
"imán" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,122 in our Spanish list, against #17,738 for "isa". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list