Which to use
“criminal” and “criminales” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,767
- “criminal” frequency rank
- #3,996
- “criminales” frequency rank
- 6763
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | criminal | criminales |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que pertenece o concierne al crimen, o que se origina en el crimen. | Forma del plural de criminal. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set criminal and criminales apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. criminal ([kɾimiˈnal]) and criminales ([kɾimiˈnales]) 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 extra letter(s) - “criminal” sits inside “criminales”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6763, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
criminal is recorded at frequency rank #2,767, classified as anadj, pronounced [kɾimiˈnal]. criminales is at rank #3,996, tagged as anadj, pronounced [kɾimiˈnales].
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 6763, this pair ranks #309,863 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of criminal vs criminales
Shared letters: acilmnr. Private to "criminal": -. Private to "criminales": es.
"criminal" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVC · "criminales" · 10 letters · shape CCVCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- criminal ← ccriminal · cirminal · criimnal · crimianl · criminall · criminla · criminnal · crimminal
- criminales ← ccriminales · cirminales · criimnales · crimianles · criminaels · criminaless · criminalles · criminalse
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "criminal" and "criminales" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "criminal" or "criminales"?
Remembering criminal vs criminales
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 “criminal” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable