imánvsizaConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#15,122
“imán” frequency rank
#49,092
“iza” frequency rank
64214
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature imán iza
Definition Piedra hecha de óxido de hierro natural que tiene la propiedad de atraer los objetos hechos de fierro o acero. Acción o efecto de izar.

Where the eye mixes imán and iza

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. imán runs 4 letters (VCVC) against iza's 3 (VCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

4 ch
imán
3 ch
iza

Look-alike desk: imán vs iza

A purely visual mix-up. imán ([iˈmãn]) and iza ([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 64214, 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]. iza is at rank #49,092, 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 64214, this pair ranks #46,276 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of imán vs iza

Shared letters: i. Private to "imán": mná. Private to "iza": az.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "imán" for "iza" ever safe?
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 "iza"?
"imán" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,122 in our Spanish list, against #49,092 for "iza". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "imán" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "iza" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #46,276 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "imán" and "iza" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "imam vs iza". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #46,276 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list