Which to use
“alfiler” and “alfileres” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,390
- “alfiler” frequency rank
- #36,914
- “alfileres” frequency rank
- 73304
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | alfiler | alfileres |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Clavo metálico muy fino, el cual se usa para prender o sujetar. | Forma del plural de alfiler. |
Where the eye mixes alfiler and alfileres
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. alfiler runs 7 letters (VCCVCVC) against alfileres's 9 (VCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between alfiler and alfileres
A purely visual mix-up. alfiler ([alfiˈleɾ]) and alfileres ([alfiˈleɾes]) 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 extra letter(s) - “alfiler” sits inside “alfileres”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 73304, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
alfiler is recorded at frequency rank #36,390, classified as anoun, pronounced [alfiˈleɾ]. alfileres is at rank #36,914, tagged as anoun, pronounced [alfiˈleɾes].
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 73304, this pair ranks #23,566 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of alfiler vs alfileres
Shared letters: aefilr. Private to "alfiler": -. Private to "alfileres": s.
"alfiler" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC · "alfileres" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "alfiler" and "alfileres" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "alfiler" or "alfileres" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "alfiler" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "alfileres" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #23,566 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "alfiler" and "alfileres" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "afilar vs alfiler". 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 #23,566 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.