árabevsárabesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,530
“árabe” frequency rank
#5,166
“árabes” frequency rank
8696
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature árabe árabes
Definition Propio de, relativo o perteneciente al grupo étnico de habla semítica, originario de la península arábiga y los territorios circundantes, que habla el idioma árabe₅ y cuya población se concentra principalmente en el norte de África y en Oriente Medio. Forma del plural de árabe.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set árabe and árabes apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
árabe
6 ch
árabes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. árabe ([ˈaɾaβ̞e]) and árabes ([ˈaɾaβ̞es]) 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 extra letter(s) - “árabe” sits inside “árabes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8696, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

árabe is recorded at frequency rank #3,530, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈaɾaβ̞e]. árabes is at rank #5,166, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈaɾaβ̞es].

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 8696, this pair ranks #304,243 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of árabe vs árabes

Shared letters: aberá. Private to "árabe": -. Private to "árabes": s.

"árabe" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV  ·  "árabes" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC

Frequency comparison

árabe#3,530
árabes#5,166

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "árabe" and "árabes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈaɾaβ̞e] versus [ˈaɾaβ̞es]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "árabe" or "árabes"?
"árabe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,530 in our Spanish list, against #5,166 for "árabes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering árabe vs árabes

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 “árabe” 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