Which to use
“claves” and “clavos” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,474
- “claves” frequency rank
- #16,289
- “clavos” frequency rank
- 21763
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | claves | clavos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del plural de clave. | Forma del plural de clavo. |
Where the eye mixes claves and clavos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses claves with clavos
A purely visual mix-up. claves ([ˈklaβ̞es]) and clavos ([ˈklaβ̞os]) 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 a single letter - e in “claves” becomes o in “clavos”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21763, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
claves is recorded at frequency rank #5,474, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈklaβ̞es]. clavos is at rank #16,289, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈklaβ̞os].
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 21763, this pair ranks #253,451 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of claves vs clavos
Shared letters: aclsv. Private to "claves": e. Private to "clavos": o.
"claves" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "clavos" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "claves" and "clavos" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "claves" vs "clavos" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "claves" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "clavos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #253,451 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "claves" and "clavos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "chamos vs clavos". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #253,451 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.