expresarvsexpresasWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: expresar is a verb, expresas is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“expresar” is a verb and “expresas” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,782
“expresar” frequency rank
#31,345
“expresas” frequency rank
35127
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature expresar expresas
Definition Hacer entender, comunicar, manifestar algo de manera explícita mediante palabras, movimientos, gestos, u otros medios. Forma del femenino plural de expreso.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set expresar and expresas apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
expresar
8 ch
expresas

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: expresar is [ekspɾeˈsaɾ] while expresas is [eksˈpɾesas]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - r in “expresar” becomes s in “expresas”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35127, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

expresar is recorded at frequency rank #3,782, classified as averb, pronounced [ekspɾeˈsaɾ]. expresas is at rank #31,345, tagged as anadj, pronounced [eksˈpɾesas].

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 35127, this pair ranks #187,739 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of expresar vs expresas

Shared letters: aeprsx. Private to "expresar": -. Private to "expresas": -.

"expresar" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC  ·  "expresas" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • expresarepxresar · expersar · exppresar · expreasr · expresarr · expresra · expressar · exprresar
  • expresasepxresas · expersas · exppresas · expreass · expresass · expressas · exprresas · exprseas

Frequency comparison

expresar#3,782
expresas#31,345

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "expresar" and "expresas" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "expresar" is a verb and "expresas" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "expresar" or "expresas"?
"expresar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,782 in our Spanish list, against #31,345 for "expresas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering expresar vs expresas

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “expresar”; for an adjective, it's “expresas”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “expresar” 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