Which to use
“parrilla” and “pastilla” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,547
- “parrilla” frequency rank
- #13,533
- “pastilla” frequency rank
- 24080
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | parrilla | pastilla |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Utensilio de hierro en forma de rejilla, con mango y pies, para poner a la lumbre lo que se ha de asar o tostar. | Droga comprimida en un tamaño manipulable para ser administrada con fines medicinales. |
Where the eye mixes parrilla and pastilla
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. parrilla and pastilla follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: parrilla vs pastilla
A purely visual mix-up. parrilla ([paˈriʝa]) and pastilla ([pasˈt̪iʝa]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24080, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
parrilla is recorded at frequency rank #10,547, classified as anoun, pronounced [paˈriʝa]. pastilla is at rank #13,533, tagged as anoun, pronounced [pasˈt̪iʝa].
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 24080, this pair ranks #242,799 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of parrilla vs pastilla
Shared letters: ailp. Private to "parrilla": r. Private to "pastilla": st.
"parrilla" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV · "pastilla" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "parrilla" for "pastilla" ever safe?
Which is more common, "parrilla" or "pastilla"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "parrilla" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pastilla" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #242,799 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "parrilla" and "pastilla" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pastilla vs patilla". 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 #242,799 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.