calmarvscalmoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: calmar is a verb, calmo is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“calmar” is a verb and “calmo” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#10,798
“calmar” frequency rank
#37,473
“calmo” frequency rank
48271
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature calmar calmo
Definition Llevar la calma, tranquilidad, sosiego a alguien o algo. Que está quieto, sosegado o calmado.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
calmar
5 ch
calmo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: calmar is [kalˈmaɾ] while calmo is [ˈkalmo]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48271, 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]. calmo is at rank #37,473, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈkalmo].

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 48271, this pair ranks #115,393 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of calmar vs calmo

Shared letters: aclm. Private to "calmar": r. Private to "calmo": o.

"calmar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "calmo" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • calmaraclmar · calamr · callmar · calmarr · calmmar · calmra · camlar · ccalmar
  • calmoaclmo · callmo · calmmo · calom · camlo · ccalmo · clamo

Frequency comparison

calmar#10,798
calmo#37,473

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "calmar" and "calmo" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "calmar" is a verb and "calmo" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "calmar" or "calmo"?
"calmar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,798 in our Spanish list, against #37,473 for "calmo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering calmar vs calmo

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “calmar”; for an adjective, it's “calmo”.
  • 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