preceptovspreceptosConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#32,816
“precepto” frequency rank
#22,468
“preceptos” frequency rank
55284
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature precepto preceptos
Definition Mandamiento u ordenanza dada por una persona que tiene autorización para ello. Forma del plural de precepto.

Where the eye mixes precepto and preceptos

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. precepto runs 8 letters (CCVCVCCV) against preceptos's 9 (CCVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
precepto
9 ch
preceptos

Visual trap between precepto and preceptos

A purely visual mix-up. precepto ([pɾeˈsept̪o]) and preceptos ([pɾeˈsept̪os]) 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) - “precepto” sits inside “preceptos”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55284, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

precepto is recorded at frequency rank #32,816, classified as anoun, pronounced [pɾeˈsept̪o]. preceptos is at rank #22,468, tagged as anoun, pronounced [pɾeˈsept̪os].

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 55284, this pair ranks #79,583 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of precepto vs preceptos

Shared letters: ceoprt. Private to "precepto": -. Private to "preceptos": s.

"precepto" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCCV  ·  "preceptos" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • precepto ← percepto · pprecepto · prceepto · preccepto · precepot · preceppto · preceptto · precetpo
  • preceptos ← perceptos · ppreceptos · prceeptos · precceptos · precepots · precepptos · preceptoss · preceptso

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "precepto" and "preceptos" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([pɾeˈsept̪o] versus [pɾeˈsept̪os]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "precepto" or "preceptos"?
"preceptos" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,468 in our Spanish list, against #32,816 for "precepto". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "precepto" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "preceptos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #79,583 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "precepto" and "preceptos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "precepto vs preceptor". 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 #79,583 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list