Which to use
“policía” and “polilla” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #436
- “policía” frequency rank
- #32,810
- “polilla” frequency rank
- 33246
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | policía | polilla |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Fuerza de seguridad encargada de imponer el orden en el interior de un Estado, de la investigación de los delitos y la persecución y captura de los imputados de los mismos. | Mariposa nocturna de un centímetro de largo, cenicienta, con una mancha negra en las alas, que son horizontales y estrechas, cabeza amarillenta y antenas casi verticales. Su larva, de unos dos milímetros de longitud, se alimenta de borra y hace una especie de capullo, destruyendo para ello la materia en donde anida, que suele ser de lana, tejidos, pieles, papel, etc. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set policía and polilla apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
policía and polilla form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33246, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
policía is recorded at frequency rank #436, classified as anoun, pronounced [poliˈsia]. polilla is at rank #32,810, tagged as anoun, pronounced [poˈliʝa].
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 33246, this pair ranks #197,802 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "policía" and "polilla" be used interchangeably?
Remembering policía vs polilla
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 “policía” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable