Which to use
“controlar” is a verb and “controles” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,202
- “controlar” frequency rank
- #5,388
- “controles” frequency rank
- 7590
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | controlar | controles |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tener el control sobre algo o alguien, ejercer el dominio sobre algo o alguien. | Forma del plural de control. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set controlar and controles apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
controlar and controles form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7590, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
controlar is recorded at frequency rank #2,202, classified as averb, pronounced [kõn̪t̪ɾoˈlaɾ]. 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 7590, this pair ranks #307,541 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "controlar" and "controles" be used interchangeably?
Remembering controlar vs controles
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “controlar”; for a noun, it's “controles”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “controlar” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable