espaldavsespaldasConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#1,985
“espalda” frequency rank
#5,723
“espaldas” frequency rank
7708
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature espalda espaldas
Definition Parte posterior del cuerpo humano que va de la base del cuello y hombros al trasero. Está opuesta al pecho y su altura viene dada por la columna vertebral o espinal dorsal. Su anchura va en función de la caja torácica y los hombros. Forma del plural de espalda.

Where the eye mixes espalda and espaldas

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.

7 ch
espalda
8 ch
espaldas

Look-alike desk: espalda vs espaldas

A purely visual mix-up. espalda ([esˈpal̪d̪a]) and espaldas ([esˈpal̪d̪as]) 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) - “espalda” sits inside “espaldas”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7708, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

espalda is recorded at frequency rank #1,985, classified as anoun, pronounced [esˈpal̪d̪a]. espaldas is at rank #5,723, tagged as anoun, pronounced [esˈpal̪d̪as].

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 7708, this pair ranks #307,171 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of espalda vs espaldas

Shared letters: adelps. Private to "espalda": -. Private to "espaldas": -.

"espalda" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV  ·  "espaldas" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • espaldaepsalda · esaplda · espadla · espalad · espaldda · espallda · esplada · esppalda
  • espaldasepsaldas · esapldas · espadlas · espalads · espaldass · espalddas · espaldsa · espalldas

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "espalda" for "espaldas" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([esˈpal̪d̪a] versus [esˈpal̪d̪as]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "espalda" or "espaldas"?
"espalda" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,985 in our Spanish list, against #5,723 for "espaldas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "espalda" and "espaldas" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "espalda" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "espaldas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #307,171 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "espalda" and "espaldas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "espalda vs Esparza". 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 #307,171 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list