bastosvsbultosWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#32,518
“bastos” frequency rank
#32,998
“bultos” frequency rank
65516
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bastos bultos
Definition En la baraja española, uno de los cuatro palos, representado por varas o bastones nudosos. Forma del plural de bulto.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
bastos
6 ch
bultos

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. bastos ([ˈbast̪os]) and bultos ([ˈbul̪t̪os]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65516, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bastos is recorded at frequency rank #32,518, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈbast̪os]. bultos is at rank #32,998, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbul̪t̪os].

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 65516, this pair ranks #42,408 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of bastos vs bultos

Shared letters: bost. Private to "bastos": a. Private to "bultos": lu.

"bastos" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "bultos" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • bastosabstos · basots · basstos · bastoss · bastso · basttos · batsos · bbastos
  • bultosbbultos · blutos · bulltos · bulots · bultoss · bultso · bulttos · butlos

Frequency comparison

bastos#32,518
bultos#32,998

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bastos" and "bultos" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈbast̪os] versus [ˈbul̪t̪os]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bastos" or "bultos"?
"bastos" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,518 in our Spanish list, against #32,998 for "bultos". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering bastos vs bultos

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 “bastos” 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