Which to use
“intención” is a noun and “intencional” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,512
- “intención” frequency rank
- #18,283
- “intencional” frequency rank
- 19795
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | intención | intencional |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Ánimo de efectuar o de no efectuar algo, propósito. | Hecho con intención, a propósito. |
Where the eye mixes intención and intencional
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. intención runs 9 letters (VCCVCCVVC) against intencional's 11 (VCCVCCVVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses intención with intencional
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: intención is [ĩn̪t̪ẽnˈsjõn] while intencional is [ĩn̪t̪ẽnsjoˈnal]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19795, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
intención is recorded at frequency rank #1,512, classified as anoun, pronounced [ĩn̪t̪ẽnˈsjõn]. intencional is at rank #18,283, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ĩn̪t̪ẽnsjoˈnal].
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 19795, this pair ranks #262,161 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of intención vs intencional
Shared letters: ceint. Private to "intención": ó. Private to "intencional": alo.
"intención" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVVC · "intencional" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- intencional ← inetncional · inntencional · intecnional · intenccional · intencinoal · intencioanl · intencionall · intencionla
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "intención" and "intencional" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "intención" vs "intencional" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "intención" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "intencional" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #262,161 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "intención" and "intencional" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "intencional vs intencionales". 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 #262,161 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.