mínimovsminutoConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#1,611
“mínimo” frequency rank
#1,783
“minuto” frequency rank
3394
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mínimo minuto
Definition Superlativo irregular de pequeño: sumamente pequeño. Dicho del dinero, que va en monedas de poco valor.

Where the eye mixes mínimo and minuto

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

6 ch
mínimo
6 ch
minuto

Look-alike desk: mínimo vs minuto

A purely visual mix-up. mínimo ([ˈminimo]) and minuto ([miˈnut̪o]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3394, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mínimo is recorded at frequency rank #1,611, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈminimo]. minuto is at rank #1,783, tagged as anadj, pronounced [miˈnut̪o].

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 3394, this pair ranks #318,408 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of mínimo vs minuto

Shared letters: imno. Private to "mínimo": í. Private to "minuto": tu.

"mínimo" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "minuto" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • minutoimnuto · minnuto · mintuo · minuot · minutto · miunto · mminuto · mniuto

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mínimo" and "minuto" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈminimo] versus [miˈnut̪o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mínimo" or "minuto"?
"mínimo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,611 in our Spanish list, against #1,783 for "minuto". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "mínimo" and "minuto" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "mínimo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "minuto" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #318,408 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "mínimo" and "minuto" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "mingo vs minuto". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #318,408 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