nombravsnombrarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,386
“nombra” frequency rank
#6,570
“nombrar” frequency rank
16956
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nombra nombrar
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de nombrar. Dar nombre a una persona, animal o cosa.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nombra and nombrar apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
nombra
7 ch
nombrar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. nombra ([ˈnõmbɾa]) and nombrar ([nõmˈbɾaɾ]) 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) - “nombra” sits inside “nombrar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16956, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nombra is recorded at frequency rank #10,386, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈnõmbɾa]. nombrar is at rank #6,570, tagged as averb, pronounced [nõmˈbɾaɾ].

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 16956, this pair ranks #274,094 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of nombra vs nombrar

Shared letters: abmnor. Private to "nombra": -. Private to "nombrar": -.

"nombra" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV  ·  "nombrar" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • nombranmobra · nnombra · nobmra · nombar · nombbra · nommbra · nomrba · nomvra
  • nombrarnmobrar · nnombrar · nobmrar · nombarr · nombbrar · nombrarr · nombrra · nombrrar

Frequency comparison

nombra#10,386
nombrar#6,570

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nombra" and "nombrar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈnõmbɾa] versus [nõmˈbɾaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "nombra" or "nombrar"?
"nombrar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,570 in our Spanish list, against #10,386 for "nombra". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nombra vs nombrar

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nombra” 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