quietavsquillaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: quieta is a adjective, quilla is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“quieta” is an adjective and “quilla” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#21,124
“quieta” frequency rank
#33,301
“quilla” frequency rank
54425
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature quieta quilla
Definition Forma del femenino singular de quieto. Viga longitudinal ubicada en la parte del fondo de un barco, que es la base sobre la cual se construye toda su estructura.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
quieta
6 ch
quilla

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: quieta is [ˈkjet̪a] while quilla is [ˈkiʝa]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54425, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

quieta is recorded at frequency rank #21,124, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈkjet̪a]. quilla is at rank #33,301, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkiʝa].

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 54425, this pair ranks #83,355 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of quieta vs quilla

Shared letters: aiqu. Private to "quieta": et. Private to "quilla": l.

"quieta" · 6 letters · shape CVVVCV  ·  "quilla" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • quietaqiueta · qquieta · queita · quieat · quietta · quitea · uqieta
  • quillaqiulla · qquilla · quila · quilal · qulila · uqilla

Frequency comparison

quieta#21,124
quilla#33,301

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "quieta" and "quilla" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "quieta" is an adjective and "quilla" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "quieta" or "quilla"?
"quieta" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,124 in our Spanish list, against #33,301 for "quilla". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering quieta vs quilla

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “quieta”; for a noun, it's “quilla”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “quieta” 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