Which to use
“difícil” and “difíciles” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #480
- “difícil” frequency rank
- #3,176
- “difíciles” frequency rank
- 3656
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | difícil | difíciles |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Duro, costoso, complicado, no fácil, que requiere mucho trabajo o esfuerzo para poder realizarse. | Forma del plural de difícil. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set difícil and difíciles apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. difícil ([d̪iˈfisil]) and difíciles ([d̪iˈfisiles]) 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) - “difícil” sits inside “difíciles”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3656, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
difícil is recorded at frequency rank #480, classified as anadj, pronounced [d̪iˈfisil]. difíciles is at rank #3,176, tagged as anadj, pronounced [d̪iˈfisiles].
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 3656, this pair ranks #317,847 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of difícil vs difíciles
Shared letters: cdfilí. Private to "difícil": -. Private to "difíciles": es.
"difícil" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "difíciles" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "difícil" and "difíciles" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "difícil" or "difíciles"?
Remembering difícil vs difíciles
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 “difícil” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable