gobiernavsgobiernosConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#9,464
“gobierna” frequency rank
#1,731
“gobiernos” frequency rank
11195
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gobierna gobiernos
Definition Pieza de metal, ordinariamente en forma de saeta, que se coloca en lo alto de las torres u otros edificios de modo que pueda girar alrededor de un eje vertical y señalar la dirección del viento. Forma del plural de gobierno.

Where the eye mixes gobierna and gobiernos

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. gobierna runs 8 letters (CVCVVCCV) against gobiernos's 9 (CVCVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
gobierna
9 ch
gobiernos

Visual trap between gobierna and gobiernos

A purely visual mix-up. gobierna ([goˈβ̞jeɾna]) and gobiernos ([goˈβ̞jeɾnos]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11195, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gobierna is recorded at frequency rank #9,464, classified as anoun, pronounced [goˈβ̞jeɾna]. gobiernos is at rank #1,731, tagged as anoun, pronounced [goˈβ̞jeɾnos].

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 11195, this pair ranks #295,956 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gobierna vs gobiernos

Shared letters: beginor. Private to "gobierna": a. Private to "gobiernos": s.

"gobierna" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCCV  ·  "gobiernos" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gobierna ← gboierna · ggobierna · gobbierna · gobeirna · gobienra · gobieran · gobiernna · gobierrna
  • gobiernos ← gboiernos · ggobiernos · gobbiernos · gobeirnos · gobienros · gobiernnos · gobiernoss · gobiernso

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gobierna" and "gobiernos" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([goˈβ̞jeɾna] versus [goˈβ̞jeɾnos]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary Spanish text, does "gobierna" or "gobiernos" show up more?
"gobiernos" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,731 in our Spanish list, against #9,464 for "gobierna". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "gobierna" and "gobiernos" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "gobierna" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "gobiernos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #295,956 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "gobierna" and "gobiernos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gobierna vs gobiernen". 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 #295,956 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