pequeñasvspequeñosWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,647
“pequeñas” frequency rank
#1,255
“pequeños” frequency rank
2902
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pequeñas pequeños
Definition Forma del femenino plural de pequeño. Forma del masculino plural de pequeño.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
pequeñas
8 ch
pequeños

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. pequeñas ([peˈkeɲas]) and pequeños ([peˈkeɲos]) 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 a single letter - a in “pequeñas” becomes o in “pequeños”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2902, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pequeñas is recorded at frequency rank #1,647, classified as anadj, pronounced [peˈkeɲas]. pequeños is at rank #1,255, tagged as anadj, pronounced [peˈkeɲos].

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 2902, this pair ranks #319,428 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of pequeñas vs pequeños

Shared letters: epqsuñ. Private to "pequeñas": a. Private to "pequeños": o.

"pequeñas" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC  ·  "pequeños" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC

Frequency comparison

pequeñas#1,647
pequeños#1,255

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pequeñas" and "pequeños" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([peˈkeɲas] versus [peˈkeɲos]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "pequeñas" or "pequeños"?
"pequeños" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,255 in our Spanish list, against #1,647 for "pequeñas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering pequeñas vs pequeños

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 “pequeñas” 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