Which to use
“obrar” and “obviar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #28,474
- “obrar” frequency rank
- #30,167
- “obviar” frequency rank
- 58641
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | obrar | obviar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ejecutar una acción, hacer algo. | Neutralizar o suprimir un obstáculo o inconveniente al ignorarlo, apartarlo, quitarlo etc. |
Where the eye mixes obrar and obviar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. obrar runs 5 letters (VCCVC) against obviar's 6 (VCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: obrar vs obviar
A purely visual mix-up. obrar ([oˈβ̞ɾaɾ]) and obviar ([oβ̞ˈbjaɾ]) 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 58641, 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]. obviar is at rank #30,167, tagged as averb, pronounced [oβ̞ˈbjaɾ].
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 58641, this pair ranks #65,712 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of obrar vs obviar
Shared letters: abor. Private to "obrar": -. Private to "obviar": iv.
"obrar" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "obviar" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "obrar" and "obviar" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "obrar" or "obviar"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "obrar" and "obviar" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "obrar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "obviar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #65,712 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "obrar" and "obviar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "obrar vs oirá". 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 #65,712 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.