Which to use
“dificultad” and “dificultades” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,238
- “dificultad” frequency rank
- #2,602
- “dificultades” frequency rank
- 6840
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dificultad | dificultades |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Contrariedad u obstáculo que se interpone en la consecución sin complicaciones de algún fin tal como llevar a cabo algo, llegar a algún lugar o comprender algo. | Forma del plural de dificultad |
Where the eye mixes dificultad and dificultades
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. dificultad runs 10 letters (CVCVCVCCVC) against dificultades's 12 (CVCVCVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: dificultad vs dificultades
A purely visual mix-up. dificultad ([d̪ifikul̪ˈt̪að̞]) and dificultades ([d̪ifikul̪ˈt̪að̞es]) 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) - “dificultad” sits inside “dificultades”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6840, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dificultad is recorded at frequency rank #4,238, classified as anoun, pronounced [d̪ifikul̪ˈt̪að̞]. dificultades is at rank #2,602, tagged as anoun, pronounced [d̪ifikul̪ˈt̪að̞es].
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 6840, this pair ranks #309,659 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of dificultad vs dificultades
Shared letters: acdfiltu. Private to "dificultad": -. Private to "dificultades": es.
"dificultad" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVCCVC · "dificultades" · 12 letters · shape CVCVCVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- dificultad ← ddificultad · dfiicultad · difciultad · difficultad · dificcultad · dificlutad · dificulatd · dificulltad
- dificultades ← ddificultades · dfiicultades · difciultades · difficultades · dificcultades · dificlutades · dificulatdes · dificulltades
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "dificultad" for "dificultades" ever safe?
Frequency check: "dificultad" vs "dificultades" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "dificultad" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dificultades" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #309,659 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dificultad" and "dificultades" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dificultad vs dificultando". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #309,659 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.