raciónvsrazónWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#20,488
“ración” frequency rank
#356
“razón” frequency rank
20844
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ración razón
Definition Cantidad de alimento correspondiente a un comensal y comida. La facultad de la mente humana mediante la cual se distingue de la inteligencia de otros animales. La razón abarca a la concepción, juicio, razonamiento y la facultad intuitiva. Específicamente, es la facultad intuitiva, o la facultad de verdades primeras, en distinción al entendimiento, la que se llama facultad discursiva o raciocinativa.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
ración
5 ch
razón

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ración ([raˈsjõn]) and razón ([raˈsõn]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20844, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ración is recorded at frequency rank #20,488, classified as anoun, pronounced [raˈsjõn]. razón is at rank #356, tagged as anoun, pronounced [raˈsõn].

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 20844, this pair ranks #257,527 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ración vs razón

Shared letters: anró. Private to "ración": ci. Private to "razón": z.

"ración" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC  ·  "razón" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Frequency comparison

ración#20,488
razón#356

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ración" and "razón" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([raˈsjõn] versus [raˈsõn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ración" or "razón"?
"razón" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #356 in our Spanish list, against #20,488 for "ración". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering ración vs razón

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 “ración” 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