Which to use
“sobras” and “sombras” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,982
- “sobras” frequency rank
- #4,653
- “sombras” frequency rank
- 23635
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sobras | sombras |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Parte que queda de algo, especialmente comida, después de usarlo o consumirlo. | Forma del plural de sombra. |
Where the eye mixes sobras and sombras
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. sobras runs 6 letters (CVCCVC) against sombras's 7 (CVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between sobras and sombras
A purely visual mix-up. sobras ([ˈsoβ̞ɾas]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23635, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sobras is recorded at frequency rank #18,982, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈsoβ̞ɾas]. 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 23635, this pair ranks #244,867 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sobras vs sombras
Shared letters: abors. Private to "sobras": -. Private to "sombras": m.
"sobras" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "sombras" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sobras" for "sombras" ever safe?
Frequency check: "sobras" vs "sombras" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "sobras" and "sombras" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "sobras" 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 #244,867 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sobras" and "sombras" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sobras vs sobrios". 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 #244,867 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.