gobiernevsgobiernosWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: gobierne is a verb, gobiernos is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“gobierne” is a verb and “gobiernos” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#23,075
“gobierne” frequency rank
#1,731
“gobiernos” frequency rank
24806
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gobierne gobiernos
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de gobernar o de gobernarse. Forma del plural de gobierno.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
gobierne
9 ch
gobiernos

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gobierne is [goˈβ̞jeɾne] while gobiernos is [goˈβ̞jeɾnos]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24806, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gobierne is recorded at frequency rank #23,075, classified as averb, pronounced [goˈβ̞jeɾne]. 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 24806, this pair ranks #239,393 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gobierne vs gobiernos

Shared letters: beginor. Private to "gobierne": -. Private to "gobiernos": s.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gobiernegboierne · ggobierne · gobbierne · gobeirne · gobienre · gobieren · gobiernne · gobierrne
  • gobiernosgboiernos · ggobiernos · gobbiernos · gobeirnos · gobienros · gobiernnos · gobiernoss · gobiernso

Frequency comparison

gobierne#23,075
gobiernos#1,731

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gobierne" and "gobiernos" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "gobierne" is a verb and "gobiernos" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "gobierne" or "gobiernos"?
"gobiernos" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,731 in our Spanish list, against #23,075 for "gobierne". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering gobierne vs gobiernos

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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