obligaciónvsobligacionesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,345
“obligación” frequency rank
#4,445
“obligaciones” frequency rank
7790
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature obligación obligaciones
Definition Aquello que hay que cumplir por responsabilidad. Los deberes de uno; las cargas que sobre sí tiene.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set obligación and obligaciones apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

10 ch
obligación
12 ch
obligaciones

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. obligación ([oβ̞liɣ̞aˈsjõn]) and obligaciones ([oβ̞liɣ̞aˈsjones]) 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 7790, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

obligación is recorded at frequency rank #3,345, classified as anoun, pronounced [oβ̞liɣ̞aˈsjõn]. obligaciones is at rank #4,445, tagged as anoun, pronounced [oβ̞liɣ̞aˈsjones].

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 7790, this pair ranks #306,928 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of obligación vs obligaciones

Shared letters: abcgilno. Private to "obligación": ó. Private to "obligaciones": es.

"obligación" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCVVC  ·  "obligaciones" · 12 letters · shape VCCVCVCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • obligacionesboligaciones · obbligaciones · obilgaciones · oblgiaciones · obliagciones · obligacciones · obligacinoes · obligacioens

Frequency comparison

obligación#3,345
obligaciones#4,445

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "obligación" and "obligaciones" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([oβ̞liɣ̞aˈsjõn] versus [oβ̞liɣ̞aˈsjones]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "obligación" or "obligaciones"?
"obligación" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,345 in our Spanish list, against #4,445 for "obligaciones". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering obligación vs obligaciones

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 “obligación” 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