nefastovsnefastosWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#20,136
“nefasto” frequency rank
#36,702
“nefastos” frequency rank
56838
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nefasto nefastos
Definition Malo, funesto, aciago. Forma del plural de nefasto.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nefasto and nefastos apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
nefasto
8 ch
nefastos

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. nefasto ([neˈfast̪o]) and nefastos ([neˈfast̪os]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “nefasto” sits inside “nefastos”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56838, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nefasto is recorded at frequency rank #20,136, classified as anadj, pronounced [neˈfast̪o]. nefastos is at rank #36,702, tagged as anadj, pronounced [neˈfast̪os].

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 56838, this pair ranks #72,910 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of nefasto vs nefastos

Shared letters: aefnost. Private to "nefasto": -. Private to "nefastos": -.

"nefasto" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "nefastos" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • nefastoenfasto · neafsto · nefasot · nefassto · nefastto · nefatso · neffasto · nefsato
  • nefastosenfastos · neafstos · nefasots · nefasstos · nefastoss · nefastso · nefasttos · nefatsos

Frequency comparison

nefasto#20,136
nefastos#36,702

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nefasto" and "nefastos" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([neˈfast̪o] versus [neˈfast̪os]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "nefasto" or "nefastos"?
"nefasto" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,136 in our Spanish list, against #36,702 for "nefastos". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering nefasto vs nefastos

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 “nefasto” 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