Which to use
“pasa” is a noun and “pausas” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #270
- “pasa” frequency rank
- #28,865
- “pausas” frequency rank
- 29135
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pasa | pausas |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Uva seca, deshidratada parcialmente, sea de forma natural o por acción humana al cocerla al calor. | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de pausar. |
Where the eye mixes pasa and pausas
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. pasa runs 4 letters (CVCV) against pausas's 6 (CVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses pasa with pausas
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pasa is [ˈpasa] while pausas is [ˈpawsas]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29135, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pasa is recorded at frequency rank #270, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpasa]. pausas is at rank #28,865, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈpawsas].
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 29135, this pair ranks #218,510 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pasa vs pausas
Shared letters: aps. Private to "pasa": -. Private to "pausas": u.
"pasa" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "pausas" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pasa" and "pausas" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "pasa" vs "pausas" - which ranks higher?
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 "pasa" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pausas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #218,510 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pasa" and "pausas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pausas vs pisas". 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 #218,510 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.