Which to use
“riñón” and “río” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,475
- “riñón” frequency rank
- #698
- “río” frequency rank
- 16173
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | riñón | río |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Órgano del sistema excretor entre los vertebrados, que filtra las toxinas de la sangre y las desecha mediante la orina. Se ubican en la mitad posterior del cuerpo, a ambos lados de la espina dorsal. | Corriente de agua de caudal importante que discurre por tierra desde un manantial, una masa de hielos o un lago. |
Where the eye mixes riñón and río
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between riñón and río
A purely visual mix-up. riñón ([riˈɲõn]) and río ([ˈrio]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16173, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
riñón is recorded at frequency rank #15,475, classified as anoun, pronounced [riˈɲõn]. río is at rank #698, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈrio].
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 16173, this pair ranks #277,217 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of riñón vs río
Shared letters: r. Private to "riñón": inñó. Private to "río": oí.
"riñón" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "río" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "riñón" and "río" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "riñón" or "río"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "riñón" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "río" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #277,217 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "riñón" and "río" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "renos vs riñón". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #277,217 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.