instalavsinstalóWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,721
“instala” frequency rank
#13,073
“instaló” frequency rank
26794
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature instala instaló
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de instalar. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de instalar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set instala and instaló apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
instala
7 ch
instaló

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. instala ([ĩnsˈt̪ala]) and instaló ([ĩnst̪aˈlo]) 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 - a in “instala” becomes ó in “instaló”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26794, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

instala is recorded at frequency rank #13,721, classified as averb, pronounced [ĩnsˈt̪ala]. instaló is at rank #13,073, tagged as averb, pronounced [ĩnst̪aˈlo].

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 26794, this pair ranks #229,920 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of instala vs instaló

Shared letters: ailnst. Private to "instala": -. Private to "instaló": ó.

"instala" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV  ·  "instaló" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • instalainnstala · insatla · insstala · instaal · installa · instlaa · insttala · intsala

Frequency comparison

instala#13,721
instaló#13,073

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "instala" and "instaló" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ĩnsˈt̪ala] versus [ĩnst̪aˈlo]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "instala" or "instaló"?
"instaló" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,073 in our Spanish list, against #13,721 for "instala". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering instala vs instaló

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 “instala” 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