Which to use
“pesar” and “posar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #526
- “pesar” frequency rank
- #26,563
- “posar” frequency rank
- 27089
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pesar | posar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Establecer el peso o la masa de algo, en particular empleando un instrumento para tal efecto. | Alojarse u hospedarse en una posada o casa particular. |
Where the eye mixes pesar and posar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses pesar with posar
A purely visual mix-up. pesar ([peˈsaɾ]) and posar ([poˈsaɾ]) 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 - e in “pesar” becomes o in “posar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27089, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pesar is recorded at frequency rank #526, classified as averb, pronounced [peˈsaɾ]. posar is at rank #26,563, tagged as averb, pronounced [poˈsaɾ].
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 27089, this pair ranks #228,507 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pesar vs posar
Shared letters: aprs. Private to "pesar": e. Private to "posar": o.
"pesar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "posar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "pesar" and "posar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "pesar" or "posar" show up more?
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 "pesar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "posar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #228,507 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pesar" and "posar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "petar vs posar". 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 #228,507 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.