Which to use
“sobra” and “sombras” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,563
- “sobra” frequency rank
- #4,653
- “sombras” frequency rank
- 10216
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sobra | sombras |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Porción de algo que excede su cantidad, peso, valor, límite o tamaño convencionales o habituales. | Forma del plural de sombra. |
Where the eye mixes sobra and sombras
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between sobra and sombras
A purely visual mix-up. sobra ([ˈsoβ̞ɾa]) and sombras ([ˈsõmbɾas]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10216, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sobra is recorded at frequency rank #5,563, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈsoβ̞ɾa]. sombras is at rank #4,653, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈsõmbɾas].
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 10216, this pair ranks #299,421 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sobra vs sombras
Shared letters: abors. Private to "sobra": -. Private to "sombras": m.
"sobra" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "sombras" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "sobra" and "sombras" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "sobra" vs "sombras" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "sobra" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sombras" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #299,421 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sobra" and "sombras" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sobra vs solera". 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 #299,421 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.