bilingüevsbilingüesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,624
“bilingüe” frequency rank
#27,111
“bilingües” frequency rank
40735
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature bilingüe bilingües
Definition Que sabe hablar dos lenguas. Forma del plural de bilingüe.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bilingüe and bilingües apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
bilingüe
9 ch
bilingües

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. bilingüe ([biˈlĩŋgwe]) and bilingües ([biˈlĩŋgwes]) 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) - “bilingüe” sits inside “bilingües”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40735, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

bilingüe is recorded at frequency rank #13,624, classified as anadj, pronounced [biˈlĩŋgwe]. bilingües is at rank #27,111, tagged as anadj, pronounced [biˈlĩŋgwes].

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 40735, this pair ranks #157,479 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of bilingüe vs bilingües

Shared letters: begilnü. Private to "bilingüe": -. Private to "bilingües": s.

"bilingüe" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVV  ·  "bilingües" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC

Frequency comparison

bilingüe#13,624
bilingües#27,111

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "bilingüe" and "bilingües" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([biˈlĩŋgwe] versus [biˈlĩŋgwes]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "bilingüe" or "bilingües"?
"bilingüe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,624 in our Spanish list, against #27,111 for "bilingües". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering bilingüe vs bilingües

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 “bilingüe” 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