desvelarvsdesveloWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: desvelar is a verb, desvelo is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“desvelar” is a verb and “desvelo” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#36,527
“desvelar” frequency rank
#43,519
“desvelo” frequency rank
80046
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature desvelar desvelo
Definition Quitar o impedir el sueño, no dejar dormir. Acción o efecto de desvelar o de desvelarse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
desvelar
7 ch
desvelo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: desvelar is [d̪esβ̞eˈlaɾ] while desvelo is [d̪esˈβ̞elo]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 80046, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

desvelar is recorded at frequency rank #36,527, classified as averb, pronounced [d̪esβ̞eˈlaɾ]. desvelo is at rank #43,519, tagged as anoun, pronounced [d̪esˈβ̞elo].

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 80046, this pair ranks #12,181 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of desvelar vs desvelo

Shared letters: delsv. Private to "desvelar": ar. Private to "desvelo": o.

"desvelar" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC  ·  "desvelo" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • desvelarddesvelar · desbelar · desevlar · dessvelar · desvealr · desvelarr · desvellar · desvelra
  • desveloddesvelo · desbelo · desevlo · dessvelo · desvello · desveol · desvleo · desvvelo

Frequency comparison

desvelar#36,527
desvelo#43,519

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "desvelar" and "desvelo" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "desvelar" is a verb and "desvelo" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "desvelar" or "desvelo"?
"desvelar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #36,527 in our Spanish list, against #43,519 for "desvelo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering desvelar vs desvelo

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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