Which to use
“catástrofe” and “catástrofes” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,633
- “catástrofe” frequency rank
- #20,924
- “catástrofes” frequency rank
- 31557
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | catástrofe | catástrofes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Suceso desventurado que causa daño y/o altera el orden de las cosas de forma dramática. | Forma del plural de catástrofe. |
Where the eye mixes catástrofe and catástrofes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. catástrofe runs 10 letters (CVCVCCCVCV) against catástrofes's 11 (CVCVCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: catástrofe vs catástrofes
A purely visual mix-up. catástrofe ([kaˈt̪ast̪ɾofe]) and catástrofes ([kaˈt̪ast̪ɾofes]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “catástrofe” sits inside “catástrofes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31557, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
catástrofe is recorded at frequency rank #10,633, classified as anoun, pronounced [kaˈt̪ast̪ɾofe]. catástrofes is at rank #20,924, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kaˈt̪ast̪ɾofes].
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 31557, this pair ranks #206,496 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of catástrofe vs catástrofes
Shared letters: aceforstá. Private to "catástrofe": -. Private to "catástrofes": -.
"catástrofe" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCV · "catástrofes" · 11 letters · shape CVCVCCCVCVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "catástrofe" for "catástrofes" ever safe?
Frequency check: "catástrofe" vs "catástrofes" - 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 "catástrofe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "catástrofes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #206,496 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "catástrofe" and "catástrofes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "catastro vs catástrofe". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #206,496 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.