libravslibraryTell them apart

Which to use

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

#8,546
“libra” frequency rank
#24,932
“library” frequency rank
33478
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature libra library
Definition Medida de peso del sistema imperial anglosajón, equivalente a 0.45359237 kilogramos. Biblioteca.

Where the eye mixes libra and library

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

5 ch
libra
7 ch
library

Visual trap between libra and library

A purely visual mix-up. libra ([ˈliβ̞ɾa]) and library (/ˈlaɪ.bɹə.ɹi/) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “libra” sits inside “library”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33478, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

libra is recorded at frequency rank #8,546, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈliβ̞ɾa]. library is at rank #24,932, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈlaɪ.bɹə.ɹi/.

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 33478, this pair ranks #196,575 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of libra vs library

Shared letters: abilr. Private to "libra": -. Private to "library": y.

"libra" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "library" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • librailbra · lbira · libar · libbra · librra · lirba · livra · llibra
  • libraryilbrary · lbirary · libarry · libbrary · librarry · libraryy · librayr · librrary

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "libra" for "library" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈliβ̞ɾa] versus /ˈlaɪ.bɹə.ɹi/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "libra" or "library" show up more?
"libra" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,546 in our Spanish list, against #24,932 for "library". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "libra" and "library" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "libra" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "library" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #196,575 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "libra" and "library" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "libraron vs library". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #196,575 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