raízvsrawTell them apart

Quick tell: raíz is a noun, raw is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#2,901
“raíz” frequency rank
#22,477
“raw” frequency rank
25378
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature raíz raw
Definition Causa de algo. Crudo.

Where the eye mixes raíz and raw

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
raíz
3 ch
raw

Look-alike desk: raíz vs raw

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: raíz is [raˈis] while raw is /ɹɔː/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25378, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

raíz is recorded at frequency rank #2,901, classified as anoun, pronounced [raˈis]. raw is at rank #22,477, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ɹɔː/.

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 25378, this pair ranks #236,701 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of raíz vs raw

Shared letters: ar. Private to "raíz": . Private to "raw": w.

"raíz" · 4 letters · shape CVVC  ·  "raw" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "raíz" and "raw" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "raíz" is a noun and "raw" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "raíz" or "raw"?
"raíz" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,901 in our Spanish list, against #22,477 for "raw". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "raíz" and "raw" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "raíz" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "raw" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #236,701 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "raíz" and "raw" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "rajo vs raw". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #236,701 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list