caráctervscaracteresWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,338
“carácter” frequency rank
#5,929
“caracteres” frequency rank
7267
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature carácter caracteres
Definition Signo escrito o grabado. Forma del plural de carácter.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set carácter and caracteres apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
carácter
10 ch
caracteres

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. carácter ([kaˈɾakt̪eɾ]) and caracteres ([kaɾakˈt̪eɾes]) 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 7267, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

carácter is recorded at frequency rank #1,338, classified as anoun, pronounced [kaˈɾakt̪eɾ]. caracteres is at rank #5,929, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kaɾakˈt̪eɾes].

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 7267, this pair ranks #308,468 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of carácter vs caracteres

Shared letters: acert. Private to "carácter": á. Private to "caracteres": s.

"carácter" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC  ·  "caracteres" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • caracteresacracteres · caarcteres · caraccteres · caracetres · caracteers · caracteress · caracterres · caracterse

Frequency comparison

carácter#1,338
caracteres#5,929

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "carácter" and "caracteres" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kaˈɾakt̪eɾ] versus [kaɾakˈt̪eɾes]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "carácter" or "caracteres"?
"carácter" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,338 in our Spanish list, against #5,929 for "caracteres". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering carácter vs caracteres

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 “carácter” 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