pelanvspelarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#48,578
“pelan” frequency rank
#23,534
“pelar” frequency rank
72112
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pelan pelar
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de pelar o de pelarse. Quitar el pelo o la piel a algo.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pelan and pelar apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
pelan
5 ch
pelar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. pelan ([ˈpelãn]) and pelar ([peˈlaɾ]) 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 a single letter - n in “pelan” becomes r in “pelar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72112, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pelan is recorded at frequency rank #48,578, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈpelãn]. pelar is at rank #23,534, tagged as averb, pronounced [peˈlaɾ].

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 72112, this pair ranks #26,082 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of pelan vs pelar

Shared letters: aelp. Private to "pelan": n. Private to "pelar": r.

"pelan" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "pelar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pelaneplan · pealn · pelann · pellan · ppelan
  • pelareplar · pealr · pelarr · pellar · plear · ppelar

Frequency comparison

pelan#48,578
pelar#23,534

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pelan" and "pelar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈpelãn] versus [peˈlaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "pelan" or "pelar"?
"pelar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,534 in our Spanish list, against #48,578 for "pelan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering pelan vs pelar

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 “pelan” 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