Which to use
“mantilla” and “martillo” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,805
- “mantilla” frequency rank
- #10,370
- “martillo” frequency rank
- 49175
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mantilla | martillo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Prenda femenina utilizada para cubrirse la cabeza y los hombros. | Herramienta para golpear, con forma de "T", de unos 30 cm. de largo, conformada por un mango y una cabeza pesada, utilizada normalmente para enterrar clavos. |
Where the eye mixes mantilla and martillo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. mantilla and martillo follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses mantilla with martillo
A purely visual mix-up. mantilla ([mãn̪ˈt̪iʝa]) and martillo ([maɾˈt̪iʝo]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49175, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mantilla is recorded at frequency rank #38,805, classified as anoun, pronounced [mãn̪ˈt̪iʝa]. martillo is at rank #10,370, tagged as anoun, pronounced [maɾˈt̪iʝo].
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 49175, this pair ranks #110,309 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of mantilla vs martillo
Shared letters: ailmt. Private to "mantilla": n. Private to "martillo": or.
"mantilla" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV · "martillo" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "mantilla" for "martillo" ever safe?
Which is more common, "mantilla" or "martillo"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "mantilla" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "martillo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #110,309 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "mantilla" and "martillo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Mansilla vs mantilla". 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 #110,309 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.