laurelvslaurelesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#12,849
“laurel” frequency rank
#29,277
“laureles” frequency rank
42126
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature laurel laureles
Definition (Laurus nobilis) Árbol lauráceo de hojas olorosas y madera resistente, considerado símbolo de victoria entre los antiguos griegos y romanos y usado en la cocina como especia. Forma del plural de laurel.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set laurel and laureles apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
laurel
8 ch
laureles

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. laurel ([lawˈɾel]) and laureles ([lawˈɾeles]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “laurel” sits inside “laureles”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42126, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

laurel is recorded at frequency rank #12,849, classified as anoun, pronounced [lawˈɾel]. laureles is at rank #29,277, tagged as anoun, pronounced [lawˈɾeles].

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 42126, this pair ranks #149,964 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of laurel vs laureles

Shared letters: aelru. Private to "laurel": -. Private to "laureles": s.

"laurel" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC  ·  "laureles" · 8 letters · shape CVVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • laurelalurel · laruel · lauerl · laurell · laurle · laurrel · llaurel · luarel
  • laurelesalureles · larueles · lauerles · laureels · laureless · laurelles · laurelse · laurlees

Frequency comparison

laurel#12,849
laureles#29,277

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "laurel" and "laureles" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([lawˈɾel] versus [lawˈɾeles]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "laurel" or "laureles"?
"laurel" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,849 in our Spanish list, against #29,277 for "laureles". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering laurel vs laureles

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 “laurel” 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