mínimavsmínimoConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#3,800
“mínima” frequency rank
#1,611
“mínimo” frequency rank
5411
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mínima mínimo
Definition Forma del femenino de mínimo. Superlativo irregular de pequeño: sumamente pequeño.

Where the eye mixes mínima and mínimo

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

6 ch
mínima
6 ch
mínimo

Visual trap between mínima and mínimo

A purely visual mix-up. mínima ([ˈminima]) and mínimo ([ˈminimo]) 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 a single letter - a in “mínima” becomes o in “mínimo”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5411, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mínima is recorded at frequency rank #3,800, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈminima]. mínimo is at rank #1,611, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈminimo].

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 5411, this pair ranks #313,694 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of mínima vs mínimo

Shared letters: imní. Private to "mínima": a. Private to "mínimo": o.

"mínima" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "mínimo" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "mínima" for "mínimo" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈminima] versus [ˈminimo]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "mínima" vs "mínimo" - which ranks higher?
"mínimo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,611 in our Spanish list, against #3,800 for "mínima". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "mínima" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "mínimo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #313,694 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "mínima" and "mínimo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "minga vs mínima". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #313,694 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list