Which to use
“pasa” is a noun and “pay” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #270
- “pasa” frequency rank
- #23,167
- “pay” frequency rank
- 23437
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pasa | pay |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Uva seca, deshidratada parcialmente, sea de forma natural o por acción humana al cocerla al calor. | Pagar. |
Where the eye mixes pasa and pay
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses pasa with pay
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pasa is [ˈpasa] while pay is /peɪ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 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 23437, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pasa is recorded at frequency rank #270, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpasa]. pay is at rank #23,167, tagged as averb, pronounced /peɪ/.
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 23437, this pair ranks #245,823 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of pasa vs pay
Shared letters: ap. Private to "pasa": s. Private to "pay": y.
"pasa" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "pay" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- pasa ← apsa · paas · passa · ppasa · psaa
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pasa" for "pay" ever safe?
Which is more common, "pasa" or "pay"?
After this comparison
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 "pay" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #245,823 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pasa" and "pay" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pay vs prey". 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 #245,823 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.