compañerovscompañerosWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#1,629
“compañero” frequency rank
#1,367
“compañeros” frequency rank
2996
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature compañero compañeros
Definition Individuo que acompaña o da compañía a una persona o animal. Forma del plural de compañero.

Where the eye mixes compañero and compañeros

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. compañero runs 9 letters (CVCCVCVCV) against compañeros's 10 (CVCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
compañero
10 ch
compañeros

Look-alike desk: compañero vs compañeros

A purely visual mix-up. compañero ([kõmpaˈɲeɾo]) and compañeros ([kõmpaˈɲeɾos]) 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) - “compañero” sits inside “compañeros”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2996, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

compañero is recorded at frequency rank #1,629, classified as anoun, pronounced [kõmpaˈɲeɾo]. compañeros is at rank #1,367, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kõmpaˈɲeɾos].

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 2996, this pair ranks #319,229 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of compañero vs compañeros

Shared letters: acemoprñ. Private to "compañero": -. Private to "compañeros": s.

"compañero" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCV  ·  "compañeros" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "compañero" for "compañeros" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([kõmpaˈɲeɾo] versus [kõmpaˈɲeɾos]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "compañero" or "compañeros"?
"compañeros" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,367 in our Spanish list, against #1,629 for "compañero". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "compañero" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "compañeros" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #319,229 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "compañero" and "compañeros" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "compañero vs comparo". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #319,229 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list