mutaciónvsmutilaciónWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#19,502
“mutación” frequency rank
#30,585
“mutilación” frequency rank
50087
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature mutación mutilación
Definition Acción o efecto de mutar Acción o efecto de mutilar o mutilarse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set mutación and mutilación apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
mutación
10 ch
mutilación

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. mutación ([mut̪aˈsjõn]) and mutilación ([mut̪ilaˈsjõn]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50087, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

mutación is recorded at frequency rank #19,502, classified as anoun, pronounced [mut̪aˈsjõn]. mutilación is at rank #30,585, tagged as anoun, pronounced [mut̪ilaˈsjõn].

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 50087, this pair ranks #105,173 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of mutación vs mutilación

Shared letters: acimntuó. Private to "mutación": -. Private to "mutilación": l.

"mutación" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVVC  ·  "mutilación" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVCVVC

Frequency comparison

mutación#19,502
mutilación#30,585

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "mutación" and "mutilación" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([mut̪aˈsjõn] versus [mut̪ilaˈsjõn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "mutación" or "mutilación"?
"mutación" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,502 in our Spanish list, against #30,585 for "mutilación". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering mutación vs mutilación

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 “mutación” 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