instarvsinvitarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#40,352
“instar” frequency rank
#7,866
“invitar” frequency rank
48218
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature instar invitar
Definition Repetir la súplica o petición o insistir en ella con ahínco. Pedirle a alguien que vaya a cierto lugar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
instar
7 ch
invitar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. instar ([ĩnsˈt̪aɾ]) and invitar ([ĩmbiˈt̪aɾ]) 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 48218, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

instar is recorded at frequency rank #40,352, classified as averb, pronounced [ĩnsˈt̪aɾ]. invitar is at rank #7,866, tagged as averb, pronounced [ĩmbiˈt̪aɾ].

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 48218, this pair ranks #115,709 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of instar vs invitar

Shared letters: ainrt. Private to "instar": s. Private to "invitar": v.

"instar" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC  ·  "invitar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • instarinnstar · insatr · insstar · instarr · instra · insttar · intsar · isntar
  • invitarinbitar · inivtar · innvitar · inviatr · invitarr · invitra · invittar · invtiar

Frequency comparison

instar#40,352
invitar#7,866

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "instar" and "invitar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ĩnsˈt̪aɾ] versus [ĩmbiˈt̪aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "instar" or "invitar"?
"invitar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,866 in our Spanish list, against #40,352 for "instar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering instar vs invitar

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 “instar” 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