explicaciónvsexplicacionesConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#2,500
“explicación” frequency rank
#4,790
“explicaciones” frequency rank
7290
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature explicación explicaciones
Definition Texto orientado a la función informativa que pretende ofrecer hechos y conceptos de manera objetiva con el fin de que sean más comprensibles. Forma del plural de explicación.

Where the eye mixes explicación and explicaciones

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. explicación runs 11 letters (VCCCVCVCVVC) against explicaciones's 13 (VCCCVCVCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

11 ch
explicación
13 ch
explicaciones

Visual trap between explicación and explicaciones

A purely visual mix-up. explicación ([eksplikaˈsjõn]) and explicaciones ([eksplikaˈsjones]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7290, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

explicación is recorded at frequency rank #2,500, classified as anoun, pronounced [eksplikaˈsjõn]. explicaciones is at rank #4,790, tagged as anoun, pronounced [eksplikaˈsjones].

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 7290, this pair ranks #308,410 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of explicación vs explicaciones

Shared letters: aceilnpx. Private to "explicación": ó. Private to "explicaciones": os.

"explicación" · 11 letters · shape VCCCVCVCVVC  ·  "explicaciones" · 13 letters · shape VCCCVCVCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • explicacionesepxlicaciones · exlpicaciones · expilcaciones · explciaciones · expliacciones · explicacciones · explicacinoes · explicacioens

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "explicación" and "explicaciones" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([eksplikaˈsjõn] versus [eksplikaˈsjones]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "explicación" or "explicaciones" show up more?
"explicación" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,500 in our Spanish list, against #4,790 for "explicaciones". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "explicación" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "explicaciones" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #308,410 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "explicación" and "explicaciones" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "expiración vs explicación". 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 #308,410 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