Which to use
“palabra” and “palabras” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #555
- “palabra” frequency rank
- #380
- “palabras” frequency rank
- 935
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | palabra | palabras |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Unidad mínima de significado de una lengua o idioma. | Forma del plural de palabra. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set palabra and palabras apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
palabra and palabras form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “palabra” sits inside “palabras” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 935, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
palabra is recorded at frequency rank #555, classified as anoun, pronounced [paˈlaβ̞ɾa]. palabras is at rank #380, tagged as anoun, pronounced [paˈlaβ̞ɾas].
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 935, this pair ranks #322,779 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "palabra" and "palabras" be used interchangeably?
Remembering palabra vs palabras
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 “palabra” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable