Which to use
“subas” is a verb and “sucias” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,872
- “subas” frequency rank
- #14,969
- “sucias” frequency rank
- 37841
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | subas | sucias |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de subir o de subirse. | Forma del femenino plural de sucio. |
Where the eye mixes subas and sucias
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. subas runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against sucias's 6 (CVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: subas vs sucias
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: subas is [ˈsuβ̞as] while sucias is [ˈsusjas]. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37841, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
subas is recorded at frequency rank #22,872, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈsuβ̞as]. sucias is at rank #14,969, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈsusjas].
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 37841, this pair ranks #173,192 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of subas vs sucias
Shared letters: asu. Private to "subas": b. Private to "sucias": ci.
"subas" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "sucias" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "subas" for "sucias" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "subas" or "sucias" show up more?
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 "subas" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sucias" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #173,192 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "subas" and "sucias" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "subas vs subís". 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 #173,192 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.