Which to use
“pares” is an adjective and “pires” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,645
- “pares” frequency rank
- #47,328
- “pires” frequency rank
- 52973
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pares | pires |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del plural de par. | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de pirar o de pirarse. |
Where the eye mixes pares and pires
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. pares and pires follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: pares vs pires
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pares is [ˈpaɾes] while pires is [ˈpiɾes]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - a in “pares” becomes i in “pires”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52973, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pares is recorded at frequency rank #5,645, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈpaɾes]. pires is at rank #47,328, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈpiɾes].
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 52973, this pair ranks #90,174 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pares vs pires
Shared letters: eprs. Private to "pares": a. Private to "pires": i.
"pares" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "pires" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "pares" for "pires" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "pares" or "pires" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "pares" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pires" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #90,174 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pares" and "pires" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pires vs prey". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #90,174 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.