modestiavsmolestiasWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#24,235
“modestia” frequency rank
#12,008
“molestias” frequency rank
36243
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature modestia molestias
Definition Virtud que modera, templa y regula los actos externos, conteniendo al hombre en los límites de su estado, según lo conveniente a él. Forma del plural de molestia.

Where the eye mixes modestia and molestias

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. modestia runs 8 letters (CVCVCCVV) against molestias's 9 (CVCVCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
modestia
9 ch
molestias

Visual trap between modestia and molestias

A purely visual mix-up. modestia ([moˈð̞est̪ja]) and molestias ([moˈlest̪jas]) 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 36243, 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]. molestias is at rank #12,008, tagged as anoun, pronounced [moˈlest̪jas].

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 36243, this pair ranks #181,667 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of modestia vs molestias

Shared letters: aeimost. Private to "modestia": d. Private to "molestias": l.

"modestia" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVV  ·  "molestias" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • modestia ← mdoestia · mmodestia · moddestia · modesita · modesstia · modestai · modesttia · modetsia
  • molestias ← mloestias · mmolestias · moelstias · molesitas · molesstias · molestais · molestiass · molestisa

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "modestia" for "molestias" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([moˈð̞est̪ja] versus [moˈlest̪jas]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "modestia" or "molestias" show up more?
"molestias" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,008 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.

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 "modestia" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "molestias" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #181,667 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "modestia" and "molestias" 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 #181,667 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