ModestavsmolestasWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Modesta is a name, molestas is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Modesta” is a name and “molestas” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#15,167
“Modesta” frequency rank
#19,497
“molestas” frequency rank
34664
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Modesta molestas
Definition Nombre de pila de mujer. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de molestar.

Where the eye mixes Modesta and molestas

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Modesta runs 7 letters (CVCVCCV) against molestas's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
Modesta
8 ch
molestas

Why the eye confuses Modesta with molestas

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Modesta is [moˈð̞est̪a] while molestas is [moˈlest̪as]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34664, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Modesta is recorded at frequency rank #15,167, classified as aname, pronounced [moˈð̞est̪a]. molestas is at rank #19,497, tagged as averb, pronounced [moˈlest̪as].

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 34664, this pair ranks #190,248 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Modesta vs molestas

Shared letters: aemost. Private to "Modesta": d. Private to "molestas": l.

"Modesta" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "molestas" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Modesta ← mdoesta · mmodesta · moddesta · modesat · modessta · modestta · modetsa · modseta
  • molestas ← mloestas · mmolestas · moelstas · molesats · molesstas · molestass · molestsa · molesttas

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Modesta" and "molestas" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Modesta" is a name and "molestas" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "Modesta" vs "molestas" - which ranks higher?
"Modesta" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,167 in our Spanish list, against #19,497 for "molestas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Modesta" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "molestas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #190,248 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Modesta" and "molestas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "modera vs Modesta". 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 #190,248 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