nivelarvsnivelesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: nivelar is a verb, niveles is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“nivelar” is a verb and “niveles” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#42,047
“nivelar” frequency rank
#1,518
“niveles” frequency rank
43565
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature nivelar niveles
Definition Hacer que una superficie o plano quede en perfecta posición horizontal. Forma del plural de nivel.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nivelar and niveles apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
nivelar
7 ch
niveles

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nivelar is [niβ̞eˈlaɾ] while niveles is [niˈβ̞eles]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43565, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

nivelar is recorded at frequency rank #42,047, classified as averb, pronounced [niβ̞eˈlaɾ]. niveles is at rank #1,518, tagged as anoun, pronounced [niˈβ̞eles].

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 43565, this pair ranks #141,971 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of nivelar vs niveles

Shared letters: eilnv. Private to "nivelar": ar. Private to "niveles": s.

"nivelar" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "niveles" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • nivelarinvelar · nibelar · nievlar · nivealr · nivelarr · nivellar · nivelra · nivlear
  • nivelesinveles · nibeles · nievles · niveels · niveless · nivelles · nivelse · nivlees

Frequency comparison

nivelar#42,047
niveles#1,518

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "nivelar" and "niveles" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "nivelar" is a verb and "niveles" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "nivelar" or "niveles"?
"niveles" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,518 in our Spanish list, against #42,047 for "nivelar". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering nivelar vs niveles

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “nivelar”; for a noun, it's “niveles”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nivelar” 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