élitevsélitesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,247
“élite” frequency rank
#11,891
“élites” frequency rank
19138
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature élite élites
Definition Minoría selecta y rectora. Forma del plural de élite.

Where the eye mixes élite and élites

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

5 ch
élite
6 ch
élites

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. élite ([ˈelit̪e]) and élites ([ˈelit̪es]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “élite” sits inside “élites”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19138, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

élite is recorded at frequency rank #7,247, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈelit̪e]. élites is at rank #11,891, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈelit̪es].

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 19138, this pair ranks #265,038 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of élite vs élites

Shared letters: eilté. Private to "élite": -. Private to "élites": s.

"élite" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV  ·  "élites" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "élite" and "élites" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈelit̪e] versus [ˈelit̪es]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "élite" or "élites"?
"élite" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,247 in our Spanish list, against #11,891 for "élites". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list