Which to use
“cruel” and “crueles” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,318
- “cruel” frequency rank
- #13,878
- “crueles” frequency rank
- 18196
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cruel | crueles |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que goza del sufrimiento ajeno. | Forma del plural de cruel. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cruel and crueles apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. cruel ([ˈkɾwel]) and crueles ([ˈkɾweles]) 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) - “cruel” sits inside “crueles”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18196, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cruel is recorded at frequency rank #4,318, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈkɾwel]. crueles is at rank #13,878, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈkɾweles].
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 18196, this pair ranks #268,921 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of cruel vs crueles
Shared letters: celru. Private to "cruel": -. Private to "crueles": s.
"cruel" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "crueles" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cruel" and "crueles" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "cruel" or "crueles"?
Remembering cruel vs crueles
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 “cruel” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable