futbolistavsfutbolistasConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#8,000
“futbolista” frequency rank
#10,672
“futbolistas” frequency rank
18672
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature futbolista futbolistas
Definition Dicese del jugador o jugadora que practica el deporte del futbol Forma del plural de futbolista.

Where the eye mixes futbolista and futbolistas

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

10 ch
futbolista
11 ch
futbolistas

Visual trap between futbolista and futbolistas

A purely visual mix-up. futbolista ([fut̪β̞oˈlist̪a]) and futbolistas ([fut̪β̞oˈlist̪as]) 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) - “futbolista” sits inside “futbolistas”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18672, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

futbolista is recorded at frequency rank #8,000, classified as anoun, pronounced [fut̪β̞oˈlist̪a]. futbolistas is at rank #10,672, tagged as anoun, pronounced [fut̪β̞oˈlist̪as].

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 18672, this pair ranks #266,933 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of futbolista vs futbolistas

Shared letters: abfilostu. Private to "futbolista": -. Private to "futbolistas": -.

"futbolista" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCV  ·  "futbolistas" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • futbolista ← ffutbolista · ftubolista · fubtolista · futbbolista · futbloista · futboilsta · futbolisat · futbolissta
  • futbolistas ← ffutbolistas · ftubolistas · fubtolistas · futbbolistas · futbloistas · futboilstas · futbolisats · futbolisstas

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "futbolista" and "futbolistas" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([fut̪β̞oˈlist̪a] versus [fut̪β̞oˈlist̪as]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "futbolista" or "futbolistas"?
"futbolista" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,000 in our Spanish list, against #10,672 for "futbolistas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "futbolista" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "futbolistas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #266,933 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "futbolista" and "futbolistas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "futbolista vs futbolística". 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 #266,933 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