civilizaciónvscivilizacionesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#5,473
“civilización” frequency rank
#13,638
“civilizaciones” frequency rank
19111
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature civilización civilizaciones
Definition Acción o efecto de civilizar. Forma del plural de civilización.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set civilización and civilizaciones apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

12 ch
civilización
14 ch
civilizaciones

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. civilización ([siβ̞ilisaˈsjõn]) and civilizaciones ([siβ̞ilisaˈsjones]) 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 19111, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

civilización is recorded at frequency rank #5,473, classified as anoun, pronounced [siβ̞ilisaˈsjõn]. civilizaciones is at rank #13,638, tagged as anoun, pronounced [siβ̞ilisaˈsjones].

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 19111, this pair ranks #265,152 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of civilización vs civilizaciones

Shared letters: acilnvz. Private to "civilización": ó. Private to "civilizaciones": eos.

"civilización" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCVCVCVVC  ·  "civilizaciones" · 14 letters · shape CVCVCVCVCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • civilizacionesccivilizaciones · cibilizaciones · ciivlizaciones · civiilzaciones · civiliazciones · civilizacciones · civilizacinoes · civilizacioens

Frequency comparison

civilización#5,473
civilizaciones#13,638

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "civilización" and "civilizaciones" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([siβ̞ilisaˈsjõn] versus [siβ̞ilisaˈsjones]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "civilización" or "civilizaciones"?
"civilización" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,473 in our Spanish list, against #13,638 for "civilizaciones". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering civilización vs civilizaciones

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 “civilización” 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