alcaidevsalcaldesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#23,655
“alcaide” frequency rank
#6,484
“alcaldes” frequency rank
30139
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature alcaide alcaldes
Definition Funcionario designado por el rey para la defensa de una fortaleza durante el Medioevo. Forma del plural de alcalde.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set alcaide and alcaldes apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
alcaide
8 ch
alcaldes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. alcaide ([alˈkajð̞e]) and alcaldes ([alˈkal̪d̪es]) 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 30139, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

alcaide is recorded at frequency rank #23,655, classified as anoun, pronounced [alˈkajð̞e]. alcaldes is at rank #6,484, tagged as anoun, pronounced [alˈkal̪d̪es].

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 30139, this pair ranks #213,483 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of alcaide vs alcaldes

Shared letters: acdel. Private to "alcaide": i. Private to "alcaldes": s.

"alcaide" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCV  ·  "alcaldes" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • alcaideaclaide · alacide · alcadie · alcaidde · alcaied · alccaide · alciade · allcaide
  • alcaldesaclaldes · alacldes · alcadles · alcalddes · alcaldess · alcaldse · alcaleds · alcalldes

Frequency comparison

alcaide#23,655
alcaldes#6,484

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "alcaide" and "alcaldes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([alˈkajð̞e] versus [alˈkal̪d̪es]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "alcaide" or "alcaldes"?
"alcaldes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,484 in our Spanish list, against #23,655 for "alcaide". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering alcaide vs alcaldes

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 “alcaide” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list