limpienvslimpiosWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: limpien is a verb, limpios is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“limpien” is a verb and “limpios” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#38,788
“limpien” frequency rank
#12,414
“limpios” frequency rank
51202
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature limpien limpios
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de limpiar. Forma del plural de limpio.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set limpien and limpios apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
limpien
7 ch
limpios

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: limpien is [ˈlĩmpjẽn] while limpios is [ˈlĩmpjos]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51202, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

limpien is recorded at frequency rank #38,788, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈlĩmpjẽn]. limpios is at rank #12,414, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈlĩmpjos].

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 51202, this pair ranks #99,085 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of limpien vs limpios

Shared letters: ilmp. Private to "limpien": en. Private to "limpios": os.

"limpien" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC  ·  "limpios" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • limpienilmpien · limipen · limmpien · limpein · limpienn · limpine · limppien · lipmien
  • limpiosilmpios · limipos · limmpios · limpioss · limpiso · limpois · limppios · lipmios

Frequency comparison

limpien#38,788
limpios#12,414

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "limpien" and "limpios" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "limpien" is a verb and "limpios" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "limpien" or "limpios"?
"limpios" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,414 in our Spanish list, against #38,788 for "limpien". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering limpien vs limpios

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “limpien”; for an adjective, it's “limpios”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “limpien” 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