precisosvspreviosWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,986
“precisos” frequency rank
#7,903
“previos” frequency rank
21889
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature precisos previos
Definition Forma del masculino plural de preciso. Forma del plural de previo.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set precisos and previos apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
precisos
7 ch
previos

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. precisos ([pɾeˈsisos]) and previos ([ˈpɾeβ̞jos]) 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 21889, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

precisos is recorded at frequency rank #13,986, classified as anadj, pronounced [pɾeˈsisos]. previos is at rank #7,903, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈpɾeβ̞jos].

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 21889, this pair ranks #252,871 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of precisos vs previos

Shared letters: eioprs. Private to "precisos": c. Private to "previos": v.

"precisos" · 8 letters · shape CCVCVCVC  ·  "previos" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • precisospercisos · pprecisos · prceisos · preccisos · precisoss · precissos · precsios · preicsos
  • previospervios · pprevios · prebios · preivos · previoss · previso · prevois · prevvios

Frequency comparison

precisos#13,986
previos#7,903

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "precisos" and "previos" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([pɾeˈsisos] versus [ˈpɾeβ̞jos]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "precisos" or "previos"?
"previos" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,903 in our Spanish list, against #13,986 for "precisos". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering precisos vs previos

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 “precisos” 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