flechavsfleshWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“flecha” and “flesh” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#12,251
“flecha” frequency rank
#38,288
“flesh” frequency rank
50539
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature flecha flesh
Definition arma longa, fina, geralmente pontiaguda, lançada por um arco, com penas na traseira para controlar o voo carne (a parte carnosa de um organismo)

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
flecha
5 ch
flesh

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. flecha (/ˈflɛ.ʃɐ/) and flesh (/ˈflɛʃ/) 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 50539, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

flecha is recorded at frequency rank #12,251, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈflɛ.ʃɐ/. flesh is at rank #38,288, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈflɛʃ/.

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 50539, this pair ranks #14,426 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of flecha vs flesh

Shared letters: efhl. Private to "flecha": ac. Private to "flesh": s.

"flecha" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV  ·  "flesh" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • flechafelcha · fflecha · flceha · flecah · fleccha · flechha · flehca · fllecha
  • fleshfelsh · fflesh · flehs · fleshh · flessh · fllesh · flseh · lfesh

Frequency comparison

flecha#12,251
flesh#38,288

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "flecha" and "flesh" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈflɛ.ʃɐ/ versus /ˈflɛʃ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "flecha" or "flesh"?
"flecha" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,251 in our Portuguese list, against #38,288 for "flesh". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering flecha vs flesh

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 “flecha” 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