modestiavsmolestaConfusable pair

Quick tell: modestia is a noun, molesta is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“modestia” is a noun and “molesta” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#24,235
“modestia” frequency rank
#2,459
“molesta” frequency rank
26694
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature modestia molesta
Definition Virtud que modera, templa y regula los actos externos, conteniendo al hombre en los límites de su estado, según lo conveniente a él. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de molestar.

Where the eye mixes modestia and molesta

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

8 ch
modestia
7 ch
molesta

Visual trap between modestia and molesta

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: modestia is [moˈð̞est̪ja] while molesta is [moˈlest̪a]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26694, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

modestia is recorded at frequency rank #24,235, classified as anoun, pronounced [moˈð̞est̪ja]. molesta is at rank #2,459, tagged as averb, pronounced [moˈlest̪a].

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 26694, this pair ranks #230,413 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of modestia vs molesta

Shared letters: aemost. Private to "modestia": di. Private to "molesta": l.

"modestia" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVV  ·  "molesta" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • modestia ← mdoestia · mmodestia · moddestia · modesita · modesstia · modestai · modesttia · modetsia
  • molesta ← mloesta · mmolesta · moelsta · molesat · molessta · molestta · moletsa · mollesta

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "modestia" and "molesta" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "modestia" is a noun and "molesta" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "modestia" vs "molesta" - which ranks higher?
"molesta" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,459 in our Spanish list, against #24,235 for "modestia". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "modestia" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "molesta" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #230,413 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "modestia" and "molesta" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "modestia vs modestos". 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 #230,413 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