orillavsorillasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#6,209
“orilla” frequency rank
#8,559
“orillas” frequency rank
14768
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature orilla orillas
Definition Lugar en el que se acaba una superficie. Barrios de la periferia de una ciudad.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
orilla
7 ch
orillas

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. orilla ([oˈɾiʝa]) and orillas ([oˈɾiʝas]) 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) - “orilla” sits inside “orillas”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14768, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

orilla is recorded at frequency rank #6,209, classified as anoun, pronounced [oˈɾiʝa]. orillas is at rank #8,559, tagged as anoun, pronounced [oˈɾiʝas].

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 14768, this pair ranks #282,824 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of orilla vs orillas

Shared letters: ailor. Private to "orilla": -. Private to "orillas": s.

"orilla" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV  ·  "orillas" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • orillaoirlla · orila · orilal · orlila · orrilla · roilla
  • orillasoirllas · orilals · orilas · orillass · orillsa · orlilas · orrillas · roillas

Frequency comparison

orilla#6,209
orillas#8,559

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "orilla" and "orillas" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([oˈɾiʝa] versus [oˈɾiʝas]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "orilla" or "orillas"?
"orilla" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,209 in our Spanish list, against #8,559 for "orillas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering orilla vs orillas

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 “orilla” 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