lenguavslenguasWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,057
“lengua” frequency rank
#2,892
“lenguas” frequency rank
3949
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature lengua lenguas
Definition Órgano ubicado en el interior de la boca de personas y animales, con ella se percibe el sentido del gusto y se modifican los sonidos producidos en la boca. Forma del plural de lengua.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
lengua
7 ch
lenguas

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. lengua ([ˈlẽŋgwa]) and lenguas ([ˈlẽŋgwas]) 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) - “lengua” sits inside “lenguas”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3949, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

lengua is recorded at frequency rank #1,057, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈlẽŋgwa]. lenguas is at rank #2,892, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈlẽŋgwas].

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 3949, this pair ranks #317,226 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of lengua vs lenguas

Shared letters: aeglnu. Private to "lengua": -. Private to "lenguas": s.

"lengua" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV  ·  "lenguas" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • lenguaelngua · legnua · lengau · lenggua · lenngua · lenuga · llengua · lnegua
  • lenguaselnguas · legnuas · lengaus · lengguas · lenguass · lengusa · lennguas · lenugas

Frequency comparison

lengua#1,057
lenguas#2,892

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "lengua" and "lenguas" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈlẽŋgwa] versus [ˈlẽŋgwas]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "lengua" or "lenguas"?
"lengua" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,057 in our Spanish list, against #2,892 for "lenguas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering lengua vs lenguas

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 “lengua” 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