molestavsmolestasWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#2,459
“molesta” frequency rank
#19,497
“molestas” frequency rank
21956
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature molesta molestas
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de molestar. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de molestar.

Where the eye mixes molesta and molestas

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. molesta 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
molesta
8 ch
molestas

Visual trap between molesta and molestas

A purely visual mix-up. molesta ([moˈlest̪a]) and molestas ([moˈlest̪as]) 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 extra letter(s) - “molesta” sits inside “molestas”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21956, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

molesta is recorded at frequency rank #2,459, classified as averb, pronounced [moˈlest̪a]. 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 21956, this pair ranks #252,576 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of molesta vs molestas

Shared letters: aelmost. Private to "molesta": -. Private to "molestas": -.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • molesta ← mloesta · mmolesta · moelsta · molesat · molessta · molestta · moletsa · mollesta
  • molestas ← mloestas · mmolestas · moelstas · molesats · molesstas · molestass · molestsa · molesttas

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "molesta" and "molestas" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([moˈlest̪a] versus [moˈlest̪as]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "molesta" vs "molestas" - which ranks higher?
"molesta" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,459 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.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "molesta" 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 #252,576 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "molesta" and "molestas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "molestarse vs molestas". 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 #252,576 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