Which to use
“ruin” is an adjective and “ruina” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #30,659
- “ruin” frequency rank
- #9,728
- “ruina” frequency rank
- 40387
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ruin | ruina |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que por su bajeza merece el desprecio. | Proceso o acción de destruirse. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ruin and ruina apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ruin is [ˈrwĩn] while ruina is [ˈrwina]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “ruin” sits inside “ruina”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40387, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ruin is recorded at frequency rank #30,659, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈrwĩn]. ruina is at rank #9,728, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈrwina].
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 40387, this pair ranks #159,365 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ruin vs ruina
Shared letters: inru. Private to "ruin": -. Private to "ruina": a.
"ruin" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "ruina" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ruin" and "ruina" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ruin" or "ruina"?
Remembering ruin vs ruina
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “ruin”; for a noun, it's “ruina”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ruin” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable