delgadavsdelgadosWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#9,621
“delgada” frequency rank
#25,988
“delgados” frequency rank
35609
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature delgada delgados
Definition Forma del femenino de delgado. Forma del plural de delgado.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set delgada and delgados apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
delgada
8 ch
delgados

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: delgada is [d̪elˈɣ̞að̞a] while delgados is [d̪elˈɣ̞að̞os]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35609, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

delgada is recorded at frequency rank #9,621, classified as anadj, pronounced [d̪elˈɣ̞að̞a]. delgados is at rank #25,988, tagged as anoun, pronounced [d̪elˈɣ̞að̞os].

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 35609, this pair ranks #185,141 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of delgada vs delgados

Shared letters: adegl. Private to "delgada": -. Private to "delgados": os.

"delgada" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "delgados" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • delgadaddelgada · deglada · delagda · delgaad · delgadda · delgdaa · delggada · dellgada
  • delgadosddelgados · deglados · delagdos · delgaddos · delgadoss · delgadso · delgaods · delgdaos

Frequency comparison

delgada#9,621
delgados#25,988

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "delgada" and "delgados" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "delgada" is an adjective and "delgados" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "delgada" or "delgados"?
"delgada" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,621 in our Spanish list, against #25,988 for "delgados". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering delgada vs delgados

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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