Which to use
“candados” and “cuidados” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,447
- “candados” frequency rank
- #7,284
- “cuidados” frequency rank
- 43731
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | candados | cuidados |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del plural de candado, participio de candar o de candarse. | Forma del plural de cuidado, participio de cuidar o de cuidarse. |
Where the eye mixes candados and cuidados
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. candados (CVCCVCVC) and cuidados (CVVCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses candados with cuidados
A purely visual mix-up. candados ([kãn̪ˈd̪að̞os]) and cuidados ([kwiˈð̞að̞os]) 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 43731, 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]. cuidados is at rank #7,284, tagged as aparticiple, pronounced [kwiˈð̞að̞os].
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 43731, this pair ranks #141,009 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of candados vs cuidados
Shared letters: acdos. Private to "candados": n. Private to "cuidados": iu.
"candados" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "cuidados" · 8 letters · shape CVVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "candados" and "cuidados" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "candados" vs "cuidados" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "candados" and "cuidados" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "candados" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cuidados" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #141,009 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "candados" and "cuidados" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "candados vs cántaros". 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 #141,009 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.