Which to use
“polvo” and “polvos” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,005
- “polvo” frequency rank
- #19,212
- “polvos” frequency rank
- 22217
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | polvo | polvos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Cualquier sustancia sólida, en especial tierra, reducida a gránulos de diámetro muy fino. | Forma del plural de polvo. |
Where the eye mixes polvo and polvos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. polvo runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against polvos's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses polvo with polvos
A purely visual mix-up. polvo ([ˈpolβ̞o]) 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 extra letter(s) - “polvo” sits inside “polvos”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22217, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
polvo is recorded at frequency rank #3,005, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpolβ̞o]. 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 22217, this pair ranks #251,381 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of polvo vs polvos
Shared letters: lopv. Private to "polvo": -. Private to "polvos": s.
"polvo" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "polvos" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "polvo" for "polvos" ever safe?
Frequency check: "polvo" vs "polvos" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "polvo" 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 #251,381 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "polvo" 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 #251,381 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.