Which to use
“mercenario” and “mercenarios” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,134
- “mercenario” frequency rank
- #12,003
- “mercenarios” frequency rank
- 35137
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | mercenario | mercenarios |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Soldado que sirve en la guerra a un país extranjero, a cambio de un salario. | Forma del plural de mercenario. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mercenario and mercenarios apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
mercenario and mercenarios form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “mercenario” sits inside “mercenarios” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35137, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
mercenario is recorded at frequency rank #23,134, classified as anoun, pronounced [meɾseˈnaɾjo]. mercenarios is at rank #12,003, tagged as anoun, pronounced [meɾseˈnaɾjos].
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 35137, this pair ranks #187,694 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "mercenario" and "mercenarios" be used interchangeably?
Remembering mercenario vs mercenarios
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 “mercenario” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable