obligadavsobligadosWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,604
“obligada” frequency rank
#4,733
“obligados” frequency rank
12337
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature obligada obligados
Definition Forma del femenino de obligado, participio de obligar o de obligarse. Forma del plural de obligado, participio de obligar o de obligarse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
obligada
9 ch
obligados

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. obligada ([oβ̞liˈɣ̞að̞a]) and obligados ([oβ̞liˈɣ̞að̞os]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12337, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

obligada is recorded at frequency rank #7,604, classified as aparticiple, pronounced [oβ̞liˈɣ̞að̞a]. obligados is at rank #4,733, tagged as aparticiple, pronounced [oβ̞liˈɣ̞að̞os].

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 12337, this pair ranks #291,898 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of obligada vs obligados

Shared letters: abdgilo. Private to "obligada": -. Private to "obligados": s.

"obligada" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV  ·  "obligados" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • obligadaboligada · obbligada · obilgada · oblgiada · obliagda · obligaad · obligadda · obligdaa
  • obligadosboligados · obbligados · obilgados · oblgiados · obliagdos · obligaddos · obligadoss · obligadso

Frequency comparison

obligada#7,604
obligados#4,733

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "obligada" and "obligados" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([oβ̞liˈɣ̞að̞a] versus [oβ̞liˈɣ̞að̞os]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "obligada" or "obligados"?
"obligados" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,733 in our Spanish list, against #7,604 for "obligada". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering obligada vs obligados

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 “obligada” 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