gulavsgulesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#40,329
“gula” frequency rank
#39,785
“gules” frequency rank
80114
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gula gules
Definition Exceso en la comida o bebida, y apetito desordenado de comer y beber. Color rojo que es representado pintándolo de rojo vivo, o mediante el dibujo de líneas verticales apretadas.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gula and gules apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
gula
5 ch
gules

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gula ([ˈgula]) and gules ([ˈgules]) 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 80114, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gula is recorded at frequency rank #40,329, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈgula]. gules is at rank #39,785, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈgules].

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 80114, this pair ranks #12,089 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of gula vs gules

Shared letters: glu. Private to "gula": a. Private to "gules": es.

"gula" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "gules" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gulaggula · glua · gual · gulla · ugla
  • gulesggules · glues · guels · guless · gulles · gulse · ugles

Frequency comparison

gula#40,329
gules#39,785

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gula" and "gules" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈgula] versus [ˈgules]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gula" or "gules"?
"gules" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #39,785 in our Spanish list, against #40,329 for "gula". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gula vs gules

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gula” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list