exactovsexactosWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,713
“exacto” frequency rank
#15,371
“exactos” frequency rank
18084
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature exacto exactos
Definition Puntual, fiel y cabal. Forma del plural de exacto.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set exacto and exactos apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
exacto
7 ch
exactos

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. exacto ([ekˈsakt̪o]) and exactos ([ekˈsakt̪os]) 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) - “exacto” sits inside “exactos”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18084, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

exacto is recorded at frequency rank #2,713, classified as anadj, pronounced [ekˈsakt̪o]. exactos is at rank #15,371, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ekˈsakt̪os].

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 18084, this pair ranks #269,394 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of exacto vs exactos

Shared letters: aceotx. Private to "exacto": -. Private to "exactos": s.

"exacto" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV  ·  "exactos" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • exactoeaxcto · exaccto · exacot · exactto · exatco · excato · exxacto · xeacto
  • exactoseaxctos · exacctos · exacots · exactoss · exactso · exacttos · exatcos · excatos

Frequency comparison

exacto#2,713
exactos#15,371

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "exacto" and "exactos" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ekˈsakt̪o] versus [ekˈsakt̪os]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "exacto" or "exactos"?
"exacto" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,713 in our Spanish list, against #15,371 for "exactos". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering exacto vs exactos

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 “exacto” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list