Which to use
“pelos” and “polvos” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,443
- “pelos” frequency rank
- #19,212
- “polvos” frequency rank
- 25655
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pelos | polvos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del plural de pelo. | Forma del plural de polvo. |
Where the eye mixes pelos and polvos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. pelos runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against polvos's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between pelos and polvos
A purely visual mix-up. pelos ([ˈpelos]) and polvos ([ˈpolβ̞os]) 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 25655, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pelos is recorded at frequency rank #6,443, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpelos]. polvos is at rank #19,212, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈpolβ̞os].
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 25655, this pair ranks #235,432 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pelos vs polvos
Shared letters: lops. Private to "pelos": e. Private to "polvos": v.
"pelos" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "polvos" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pelos" and "polvos" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "pelos" vs "polvos" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "pelos" and "polvos" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "pelos" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "polvos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #235,432 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pelos" and "polvos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "pillos vs polvos". 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 #235,432 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.