Which to use
“motive” is a verb and “motivo” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #40,410
- “motive” frequency rank
- #1,145
- “motivo” frequency rank
- 41555
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | motive | motivo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de motivar. | Razón que mueve o motiva una consecuencia. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set motive and motivo apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
motive and motivo 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 a single letter - e in “motive” becomes o in “motivo” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41555, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
motive is recorded at frequency rank #40,410, classified as averb, pronounced [moˈt̪iβ̞e]. motivo is at rank #1,145, tagged as anoun, pronounced [moˈt̪iβ̞o].
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 41555, this pair ranks #153,036 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "motive" and "motivo" be used interchangeably?
Remembering motive vs motivo
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “motive”; for a noun, it's “motivo”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “motive” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable