Which to use
“capitán” and “capitanes” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,540
- “capitán” frequency rank
- #15,795
- “capitanes” frequency rank
- 17335
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | capitán | capitanes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Persona que dirige una tropa militar | Forma del plural de capitán. |
Where the eye mixes capitán and capitanes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. capitán runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against capitanes's 9 (CVCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses capitán with capitanes
A purely visual mix-up. capitán ([kapiˈt̪ãn]) and capitanes ([kapiˈt̪anes]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17335, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
capitán is recorded at frequency rank #1,540, classified as anoun, pronounced [kapiˈt̪ãn]. capitanes is at rank #15,795, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kapiˈt̪anes].
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 17335, this pair ranks #272,587 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of capitán vs capitanes
Shared letters: acinpt. Private to "capitán": á. Private to "capitanes": es.
"capitán" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "capitanes" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- capitanes ← acpitanes · caiptanes · capiatnes · capitaens · capitaness · capitannes · capitanse · capitnaes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "capitán" and "capitanes" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "capitán" vs "capitanes" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "capitán" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "capitanes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #272,587 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "capitán" and "capitanes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "capitanes vs capiteles". 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 #272,587 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.