cablesvschilesConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#5,926
“cables” frequency rank
#27,518
“chiles” frequency rank
33444
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cables chiles
Definition Forma del plural de cable. Forma del plural de chile.

Where the eye mixes cables and chiles

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
cables
6 ch
chiles

Look-alike desk: cables vs chiles

A purely visual mix-up. cables ([ˈkaβ̞les]) and chiles ([ˈt͡ʃiles]) 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 33444, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cables is recorded at frequency rank #5,926, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈkaβ̞les]. chiles is at rank #27,518, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡ʃiles].

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 33444, this pair ranks #196,773 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of cables vs chiles

Shared letters: cels. Private to "cables": ab. Private to "chiles": hi.

"cables" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "chiles" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • cablesacbles · cabbles · cabels · cabless · cablles · cablse · calbes · cavles
  • chilescchiles · chhiles · chiels · chiless · chilles · chilse · chlies · cihles

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "cables" and "chiles" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈkaβ̞les] versus [ˈt͡ʃiles]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "cables" vs "chiles" - which ranks higher?
"cables" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,926 in our Spanish list, against #27,518 for "chiles". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "cables" and "chiles" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "cables" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "chiles" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #196,773 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "cables" and "chiles" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chiles vs cholos". 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 #196,773 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list