pagasvspassWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#9,336
“pagas” frequency rank
#20,155
“pass” frequency rank
29491
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pagas pass
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de pagar o de pagarse. Pasar.

Where the eye mixes pagas and pass

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
pagas
4 ch
pass

Visual trap between pagas and pass

A purely visual mix-up. pagas ([ˈpaɣ̞as]) and pass (/pɑːs/) 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 29491, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pagas is recorded at frequency rank #9,336, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈpaɣ̞as]. pass is at rank #20,155, tagged as averb, pronounced /pɑːs/.

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 29491, this pair ranks #216,742 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of pagas vs pass

Shared letters: aps. Private to "pagas": g. Private to "pass": -.

"pagas" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "pass" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pagasapgas · paags · pagass · paggas · pagsa · pgaas · ppagas
  • passapss · ppass · psas

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "pagas" and "pass" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈpaɣ̞as] versus /pɑːs/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "pagas" or "pass" show up more?
"pagas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,336 in our Spanish list, against #20,155 for "pass". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "pagas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "pass" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #216,742 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "pagas" and "pass" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pa'l vs pass". 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 #216,742 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list