calientevscalientesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,196
“caliente” frequency rank
#7,110
“calientes” frequency rank
9306
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature caliente calientes
Definition Que tiene una temperatura elevada. Forma del plural de caliente.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
caliente
9 ch
calientes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. caliente ([kaˈljẽn̪t̪e]) and calientes ([kaˈljẽn̪t̪es]) 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) - “caliente” sits inside “calientes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9306, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

caliente is recorded at frequency rank #2,196, classified as anadj, pronounced [kaˈljẽn̪t̪e]. calientes is at rank #7,110, tagged as anadj, pronounced [kaˈljẽn̪t̪es].

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 9306, this pair ranks #302,313 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of caliente vs calientes

Shared letters: aceilnt. Private to "caliente": -. Private to "calientes": s.

"caliente" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCCV  ·  "calientes" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • calienteacliente · cailente · caleinte · calienet · caliennte · calientte · calietne · calinete
  • calientesaclientes · cailentes · caleintes · calienets · calienntes · calientess · calientse · calienttes

Frequency comparison

caliente#2,196
calientes#7,110

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "caliente" and "calientes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kaˈljẽn̪t̪e] versus [kaˈljẽn̪t̪es]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "caliente" or "calientes"?
"caliente" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,196 in our Spanish list, against #7,110 for "calientes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering caliente vs calientes

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 “caliente” 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