clavelesvsclavesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#34,498
“claveles” frequency rank
#5,474
“claves” frequency rank
39972
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature claveles claves
Definition Forma del plural de clavel. Forma del plural de clave.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set claveles and claves apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
claveles
6 ch
claves

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. claveles ([klaˈβ̞eles]) and claves ([ˈklaβ̞es]) 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 39972, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

claveles is recorded at frequency rank #34,498, classified as anoun, pronounced [klaˈβ̞eles]. claves is at rank #5,474, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈklaβ̞es].

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 39972, this pair ranks #161,639 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of claveles vs claves

Shared letters: acelsv. Private to "claveles": -. Private to "claves": -.

"claveles" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVC  ·  "claves" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • clavelescalveles · cclaveles · clabeles · claevles · claveels · claveless · clavelles · clavelse
  • clavescalves · cclaves · clabes · claevs · clavess · clavse · clavves · cllaves

Frequency comparison

claveles#34,498
claves#5,474

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "claveles" and "claves" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([klaˈβ̞eles] versus [ˈklaβ̞es]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "claveles" or "claves"?
"claves" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,474 in our Spanish list, against #34,498 for "claveles". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering claveles vs claves

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 “claveles” 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