reformavsreforzarConfusable pair

Quick tell: reforma is a noun, reforzar is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“reforma” is a noun and “reforzar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#1,152
“reforma” frequency rank
#7,059
“reforzar” frequency rank
8211
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature reforma reforzar
Definition Acción o efecto de reformar o de reformarse Dar nueva fuerza a algo; añadirle vigor o intensidad.

Where the eye mixes reforma and reforzar

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. reforma runs 7 letters (CVCVCCV) against reforzar's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
reforma
8 ch
reforzar

Look-alike desk: reforma vs reforzar

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: reforma is [reˈfoɾma] while reforzar is [refoɾˈsaɾ]. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8211, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

reforma is recorded at frequency rank #1,152, classified as anoun, pronounced [reˈfoɾma]. reforzar is at rank #7,059, tagged as averb, pronounced [refoɾˈsaɾ].

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 8211, this pair ranks #305,682 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of reforma vs reforzar

Shared letters: aefor. Private to "reforma": m. Private to "reforzar": z.

"reforma" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "reforzar" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • reforma ← erforma · refforma · refomra · reforam · reformma · reforrma · refroma · reofrma
  • reforzar ← erforzar · refforzar · reforazr · reforrzar · reforzarr · reforzra · reforzzar · refozrar

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "reforma" for "reforzar" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "reforma" is a noun and "reforzar" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "reforma" or "reforzar"?
"reforma" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,152 in our Spanish list, against #7,059 for "reforzar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "reforma" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "reforzar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #305,682 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "reforma" and "reforzar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "reforzar vs reforzó". 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 #305,682 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