diagonalvsdiagonalesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“diagonal” and “diagonales” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#16,559
“diagonal” frequency rank
#46,497
“diagonales” frequency rank
63056
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature diagonal diagonales
Definition Recta que une un vértice de un polígono o de un poliedro con otro vértice no consecutivo. Informalmente, recta inclinada con respecto a otras paralelas. Forma del plural de diagonal.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set diagonal and diagonales apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
diagonal
10 ch
diagonales

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. diagonal ([d̪jaɣ̞oˈnal]) and diagonales ([d̪jaɣ̞oˈnales]) 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) - “diagonal” sits inside “diagonales”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63056, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

diagonal is recorded at frequency rank #16,559, classified as anadj, pronounced [d̪jaɣ̞oˈnal]. diagonales is at rank #46,497, tagged as anadj, pronounced [d̪jaɣ̞oˈnales].

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 63056, this pair ranks #49,999 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of diagonal vs diagonales

Shared letters: adgilno. Private to "diagonal": -. Private to "diagonales": es.

"diagonal" · 8 letters · shape CVVCVCVC  ·  "diagonales" · 10 letters · shape CVVCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • diagonaldaigonal · ddiagonal · diaggonal · diagnoal · diagoanl · diagonall · diagonla · diagonnal
  • diagonalesdaigonales · ddiagonales · diaggonales · diagnoales · diagoanles · diagonaels · diagonaless · diagonalles

Frequency comparison

diagonal#16,559
diagonales#46,497

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "diagonal" and "diagonales" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪jaɣ̞oˈnal] versus [d̪jaɣ̞oˈnales]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "diagonal" or "diagonales"?
"diagonal" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,559 in our Spanish list, against #46,497 for "diagonales". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering diagonal vs diagonales

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 “diagonal” 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