calmarvscalmenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,798
“calmar” frequency rank
#49,490
“calmen” frequency rank
60288
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature calmar calmen
Definition Llevar la calma, tranquilidad, sosiego a alguien o algo. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de calmar o de calmarse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
calmar
6 ch
calmen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. calmar ([kalˈmaɾ]) and calmen ([ˈkalmẽn]) 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 60288, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

calmar is recorded at frequency rank #10,798, classified as averb, pronounced [kalˈmaɾ]. calmen is at rank #49,490, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkalmẽn].

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 60288, this pair ranks #59,471 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of calmar vs calmen

Shared letters: aclm. Private to "calmar": r. Private to "calmen": en.

"calmar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "calmen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • calmaraclmar · calamr · callmar · calmarr · calmmar · calmra · camlar · ccalmar
  • calmenaclmen · calemn · callmen · calmenn · calmmen · calmne · camlen · ccalmen

Frequency comparison

calmar#10,798
calmen#49,490

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "calmar" and "calmen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kalˈmaɾ] versus [ˈkalmẽn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "calmar" or "calmen"?
"calmar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,798 in our Spanish list, against #49,490 for "calmen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering calmar vs calmen

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 “calmar” 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