ingeniovsingeniosWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#10,515
“ingenio” frequency rank
#42,498
“ingenios” frequency rank
53013
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ingenio ingenios
Definition Habilidad para componer, inventar o para hallar medios adecuados a un fin. Forma del plural de ingenio.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
ingenio
8 ch
ingenios

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ingenio ([ĩŋˈxenjo]) and ingenios ([ĩŋˈxenjos]) 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) - “ingenio” sits inside “ingenios”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53013, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ingenio is recorded at frequency rank #10,515, classified as anoun, pronounced [ĩŋˈxenjo]. ingenios is at rank #42,498, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ĩŋˈxenjos].

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 53013, this pair ranks #89,966 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ingenio vs ingenios

Shared letters: egino. Private to "ingenio": -. Private to "ingenios": s.

"ingenio" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVV  ·  "ingenios" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ingenioignenio · inegnio · ingeino · ingennio · ingenoi · inggenio · ingneio · inngenio
  • ingeniosignenios · inegnios · ingeinos · ingenioss · ingeniso · ingennios · ingenois · inggenios

Frequency comparison

ingenio#10,515
ingenios#42,498

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ingenio" and "ingenios" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ĩŋˈxenjo] versus [ĩŋˈxenjos]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ingenio" or "ingenios"?
"ingenio" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,515 in our Spanish list, against #42,498 for "ingenios". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ingenio vs ingenios

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 “ingenio” 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