Which to use
“sartén” and “sostén” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,681
- “sartén” frequency rank
- #18,689
- “sostén” frequency rank
- 37370
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sartén | sostén |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Recipiente metálico, amplio y llano, usado para freír o guisar. | Acción o efecto de sostener |
Where the eye mixes sartén and sostén
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. sartén and sostén follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses sartén with sostén
A purely visual mix-up. sartén ([saɾˈt̪ẽn]) and sostén ([sosˈt̪ẽn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37370, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sartén is recorded at frequency rank #18,681, classified as anoun, pronounced [saɾˈt̪ẽn]. sostén is at rank #18,689, tagged as anoun, pronounced [sosˈt̪ẽn].
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 37370, this pair ranks #175,671 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sartén vs sostén
Shared letters: nsté. Private to "sartén": ar. Private to "sostén": o.
"sartén" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "sostén" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sartén" and "sostén" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "sartén" or "sostén" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "sartén" and "sostén" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "sartén" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sostén" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #175,671 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sartén" and "sostén" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sartén vs sartenes". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #175,671 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.