esmeraldavsesmeraldasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#14,839
“esmeralda” frequency rank
#20,026
“esmeraldas” frequency rank
34865
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature esmeralda esmeraldas
Definition Piedra preciosa formada por silicato de aluminio y berilio, de fórmula Be₃Al₂(SiO₃)₆, de color verde debido al óxido de cromo que en pequeña cantidad entra en su composición. Es una variedad del mineral berilo. Forma del plural de esmeralda.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set esmeralda and esmeraldas apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
esmeralda
10 ch
esmeraldas

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. esmeralda ([esmeˈɾal̪d̪a]) and esmeraldas ([esmeˈɾal̪d̪as]) 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) - “esmeralda” sits inside “esmeraldas”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34865, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

esmeralda is recorded at frequency rank #14,839, classified as anoun, pronounced [esmeˈɾal̪d̪a]. esmeraldas is at rank #20,026, tagged as anoun, pronounced [esmeˈɾal̪d̪as].

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 34865, this pair ranks #189,125 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of esmeralda vs esmeraldas

Shared letters: adelmrs. Private to "esmeralda": -. Private to "esmeraldas": -.

"esmeralda" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCCV  ·  "esmeraldas" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • esmeraldaemseralda · esemralda · esmearlda · esmeradla · esmeralad · esmeraldda · esmerallda · esmerlada
  • esmeraldasemseraldas · esemraldas · esmearldas · esmeradlas · esmeralads · esmeraldass · esmeralddas · esmeraldsa

Frequency comparison

esmeralda#14,839
esmeraldas#20,026

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "esmeralda" and "esmeraldas" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([esmeˈɾal̪d̪a] versus [esmeˈɾal̪d̪as]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "esmeralda" or "esmeraldas"?
"esmeralda" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,839 in our Spanish list, against #20,026 for "esmeraldas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering esmeralda vs esmeraldas

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 “esmeralda” 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