nearvsnegraWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: near is a adjective, negra is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“near” is an adjective and “negra” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#49,160
“near” frequency rank
#1,686
“negra” frequency rank
50846
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature near negra
Definition Cercano, próximo. Figura musical que vale un cuarto de la redonda, la mitad de la blanca y el doble de la corchea. Es representada con la cifra 4.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set near and negra apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
near
5 ch
negra

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

near and negra form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50846, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

near is recorded at frequency rank #49,160, classified as anadj, pronounced /nɪə̯(ɹ)/. negra is at rank #1,686, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈneɣ̞ɾa].

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 50846, this pair ranks #101,027 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

near#49,160
negra#1,686

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "near" and "negra" be used interchangeably?
No, "near" and "negra" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering near vs negra

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “near”; for a noun, it's “negra”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “near” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list