candadosvscondadoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: candados is a participle, condado is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“candados” is a participle and “condado” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#36,447
“candados” frequency rank
#5,934
“condado” frequency rank
42381
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature candados condado
Definition Forma del plural de candado, participio de candar o de candarse. Dignidad honorífica de un conde

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set candados and condado apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
candados
7 ch
condado

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: candados is [kãn̪ˈd̪að̞os] while condado is [kõn̪ˈd̪að̞o]. 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 (participle vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42381, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

candados is recorded at frequency rank #36,447, classified as aparticiple, pronounced [kãn̪ˈd̪að̞os]. condado is at rank #5,934, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kõn̪ˈd̪að̞o].

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 42381, this pair ranks #148,539 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of candados vs condado

Shared letters: acdno. Private to "candados": s. Private to "condado": -.

"candados" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "condado" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • candadosacndados · cadnados · canaddos · candaddos · candadoss · candadso · candaods · canddados
  • condadoccondado · cnodado · codnado · conaddo · condaddo · condaod · conddado · conddao

Frequency comparison

candados#36,447
condado#5,934

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "candados" and "condado" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "candados" is a participle and "condado" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "candados" or "condado"?
"condado" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,934 in our Spanish list, against #36,447 for "candados". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering candados vs condado

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a participle, it's “candados”; for a noun, it's “condado”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “candados” 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