verjavsviejaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“verja” and “vieja” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#34,836
“verja” frequency rank
#1,187
“vieja” frequency rank
36023
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature verja vieja
Definition Cerca de hierro con enlazados, balaustres y pilastras. Mujer, respecto de sus hijos.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set verja and vieja apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
verja
5 ch
vieja

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. verja ([ˈbeɾxa]) and vieja ([ˈbjexa]) 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 36023, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

verja is recorded at frequency rank #34,836, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈbeɾxa]. vieja is at rank #1,187, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbjexa].

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 36023, this pair ranks #182,898 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of verja vs vieja

Shared letters: aejv. Private to "verja": r. Private to "vieja": i.

"verja" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "vieja" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • verjaberja · evrja · vejra · veraj · verjja · verrja · vreja · vverja
  • viejabieja · iveja · veija · vieaj · viejja · vijea · vvieja

Frequency comparison

verja#34,836
vieja#1,187

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "verja" and "vieja" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈbeɾxa] versus [ˈbjexa]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "verja" or "vieja"?
"vieja" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,187 in our Spanish list, against #34,836 for "verja". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering verja vs vieja

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “verja” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list