católicovscatólicosWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,806
“católico” frequency rank
#5,378
“católicos” frequency rank
11184
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature católico católicos
Definition Propio de, relativo a o fiel del catolicismo. Forma del plural de católico.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set católico and católicos apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
católico
9 ch
católicos

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. católico ([kaˈt̪oliko]) and católicos ([kaˈt̪olikos]) 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) - “católico” sits inside “católicos”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11184, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

católico is recorded at frequency rank #5,806, classified as anadj, pronounced [kaˈt̪oliko]. católicos is at rank #5,378, tagged as anadj, pronounced [kaˈt̪olikos].

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 11184, this pair ranks #296,001 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of católico vs católicos

Shared letters: acilotó. Private to "católico": -. Private to "católicos": s.

"católico" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV  ·  "católicos" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC

Frequency comparison

católico#5,806
católicos#5,378

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "católico" and "católicos" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kaˈt̪oliko] versus [kaˈt̪olikos]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "católico" or "católicos"?
"católicos" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,378 in our Spanish list, against #5,806 for "católico". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering católico vs católicos

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 “católico” 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