Which to use
“espia” and “espinha” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #41,012
- “espia” frequency rank
- #12,056
- “espinha” frequency rank
- 53068
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | espia | espinha |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | pessoa que observa escondida | termo vulgar para a coluna vertebral |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set espia and espinha apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. espia (/iʃ.ˈpi.ɐ/) and espinha (/iʃ.ˈpi.ɲɐ/) 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 53068, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
espia is recorded at frequency rank #41,012, classified as anoun, pronounced /iʃ.ˈpi.ɐ/. espinha is at rank #12,056, tagged as anoun, pronounced /iʃ.ˈpi.ɲɐ/.
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 53068, this pair ranks #12,306 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of espia vs espinha
Shared letters: aeips. Private to "espia": -. Private to "espinha": hn.
"espia" · 5 letters · shape VCCVV · "espinha" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "espia" and "espinha" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "espia" or "espinha"?
Remembering espia vs espinha
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 “espia” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable