Which to use
“ciudad” and “ciudades” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #161
- “ciudad” frequency rank
- #886
- “ciudades” frequency rank
- 1047
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ciudad | ciudades |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Asentamiento de gran tamaño y actividad primariamente industrial o de servicio, antes que agrícola. | Forma del plural de ciudad. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ciudad and ciudades apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. ciudad ([sjuˈð̞að̞]) and ciudades ([sjuˈð̞að̞es]) 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 extra letter(s) - “ciudad” sits inside “ciudades”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1047, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ciudad is recorded at frequency rank #161, classified as anoun, pronounced [sjuˈð̞að̞]. ciudades is at rank #886, tagged as anoun, pronounced [sjuˈð̞að̞es].
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 1047, this pair ranks #322,633 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ciudad vs ciudades
Shared letters: acdiu. Private to "ciudad": -. Private to "ciudades": es.
"ciudad" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "ciudades" · 8 letters · shape CVVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ciudad" and "ciudades" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ciudad" or "ciudades"?
Remembering ciudad vs ciudades
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 “ciudad” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable