estigmavsestigmasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#17,961
“estigma” frequency rank
#37,078
“estigmas” frequency rank
55039
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature estigma estigmas
Definition Marca que no se puede borrar. Forma del plural de estigma.

Where the eye mixes estigma and estigmas

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. estigma runs 7 letters (VCCVCCV) against estigmas's 8 (VCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
estigma
8 ch
estigmas

Why the eye confuses estigma with estigmas

A purely visual mix-up. estigma ([esˈt̪iɣ̞ma]) and estigmas ([esˈt̪iɣ̞mas]) 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) - “estigma” sits inside “estigmas”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55039, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

estigma is recorded at frequency rank #17,961, classified as anoun, pronounced [esˈt̪iɣ̞ma]. estigmas is at rank #37,078, tagged as anoun, pronounced [esˈt̪iɣ̞mas].

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 55039, this pair ranks #80,675 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of estigma vs estigmas

Shared letters: aegimst. Private to "estigma": -. Private to "estigmas": -.

"estigma" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCCV  ·  "estigmas" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • estigma ← esitgma · esstigma · estgima · estigam · estiggma · estigmma · estimga · esttigma
  • estigmas ← esitgmas · esstigmas · estgimas · estigams · estiggmas · estigmass · estigmmas · estigmsa

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "estigma" and "estigmas" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([esˈt̪iɣ̞ma] versus [esˈt̪iɣ̞mas]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "estigma" vs "estigmas" - which ranks higher?
"estigma" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,961 in our Spanish list, against #37,078 for "estigmas". 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 "estigma" and "estigmas" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "estigma" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "estigmas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #80,675 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "estigma" and "estigmas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "enigmas vs estigmas". 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 #80,675 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