obrarvsobreraWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#28,474
“obrar” frequency rank
#9,164
“obrera” frequency rank
37638
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature obrar obrera
Definition Ejecutar una acción, hacer algo. Hembra estéril en numerosas especies de insectos eusociales, que desempeña tareas de recolección, defensa y construcción.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set obrar and obrera apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
obrar
6 ch
obrera

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: obrar is [oˈβ̞ɾaɾ] while obrera is [oˈβ̞ɾeɾa]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37638, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

obrar is recorded at frequency rank #28,474, classified as averb, pronounced [oˈβ̞ɾaɾ]. obrera is at rank #9,164, tagged as anoun, pronounced [oˈβ̞ɾeɾa].

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 37638, this pair ranks #174,246 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of obrar vs obrera

Shared letters: abor. Private to "obrar": -. Private to "obrera": e.

"obrar" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC  ·  "obrera" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • obrarobarr · obbrar · obrarr · ovrar
  • obreraborera · obbrera · oberra · obrear · obrerra · obrrea · obrrera · orbera

Frequency comparison

obrar#28,474
obrera#9,164

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "obrar" and "obrera" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "obrar" is a verb and "obrera" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "obrar" or "obrera"?
"obrera" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,164 in our Spanish list, against #28,474 for "obrar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering obrar vs obrera

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “obrar”; for a noun, it's “obrera”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “obrar” 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