propósitovspropósitosWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,527
“propósito” frequency rank
#8,301
“propósitos” frequency rank
9828
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature propósito propósitos
Definition Deseo o ánimo de realizar o no realizar alguna cosa. Forma del plural de propósito.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set propósito and propósitos apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
propósito
10 ch
propósitos

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. propósito ([pɾoˈposit̪o]) and propósitos ([pɾoˈposit̪os]) 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) - “propósito” sits inside “propósitos”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9828, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

propósito is recorded at frequency rank #1,527, classified as anoun, pronounced [pɾoˈposit̪o]. propósitos is at rank #8,301, tagged as anoun, pronounced [pɾoˈposit̪os].

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 9828, this pair ranks #300,701 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of propósito vs propósitos

Shared letters: ioprstó. Private to "propósito": -. Private to "propósitos": -.

"propósito" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCVCV  ·  "propósitos" · 10 letters · shape CCVCVCVCVC

Frequency comparison

propósito#1,527
propósitos#8,301

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "propósito" and "propósitos" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([pɾoˈposit̪o] versus [pɾoˈposit̪os]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "propósito" or "propósitos"?
"propósito" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,527 in our Spanish list, against #8,301 for "propósitos". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering propósito vs propósitos

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 “propósito” 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