Which to use
“formidable” and “formidables” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,863
- “formidable” frequency rank
- #49,024
- “formidables” frequency rank
- 64887
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | formidable | formidables |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que infunde un gran temor. | Forma del plural de formidable. |
Where the eye mixes formidable and formidables
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between formidable and formidables
A purely visual mix-up. formidable ([foɾmiˈð̞aβ̞le]) and formidables ([foɾmiˈð̞aβ̞les]) 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) - “formidable” sits inside “formidables”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64887, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
formidable is recorded at frequency rank #15,863, classified as anadj, pronounced [foɾmiˈð̞aβ̞le]. formidables is at rank #49,024, tagged as anadj, pronounced [foɾmiˈð̞aβ̞les].
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 64887, this pair ranks #44,257 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of formidable vs formidables
Shared letters: abdefilmor. Private to "formidable": -. Private to "formidables": s.
"formidable" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCV · "formidables" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- formidable ← fformidable · fomridable · forimdable · formdiable · formiadble · formidabble · formidabel · formidablle
- formidables ← fformidables · fomridables · forimdables · formdiables · formiadbles · formidabbles · formidabels · formidabless
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "formidable" and "formidables" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "formidable" or "formidables"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "formidable" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "formidables" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #44,257 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- 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 #44,257 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.