contablesvscontrolesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: contables is a adjective, controles is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“contables” is an adjective and “controles” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#21,276
“contables” frequency rank
#5,388
“controles” frequency rank
26664
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature contables controles
Definition Forma del plural de contable. Forma del plural de control.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set contables and controles apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
contables
9 ch
controles

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: contables is [kõn̪ˈt̪aβ̞les] while controles is [kõn̪ˈt̪ɾoles]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26664, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

contables is recorded at frequency rank #21,276, classified as anadj, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪aβ̞les]. controles is at rank #5,388, tagged as anoun, pronounced [kõn̪ˈt̪ɾoles].

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 26664, this pair ranks #230,553 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of contables vs controles

Shared letters: celnost. Private to "contables": ab. Private to "controles": r.

"contables" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC  ·  "controles" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • contablesccontables · cnotables · conatbles · conntables · contabbles · contabels · contabless · contablles
  • controlesccontroles · cnotroles · conntroles · conrtoles · contorles · contrloes · controels · controless

Frequency comparison

contables#21,276
controles#5,388

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "contables" and "controles" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "contables" is an adjective and "controles" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "contables" or "controles"?
"controles" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,388 in our Spanish list, against #21,276 for "contables". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering contables vs controles

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “contables”; for a noun, it's “controles”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “contables” 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