sabesvssablesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: sabes is a verb, sables is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“sabes” is a verb and “sables” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#474
“sabes” frequency rank
#34,771
“sables” frequency rank
35245
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sabes sables
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de saber. Forma del plural de sable.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sabes and sables apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
sabes
6 ch
sables

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sabes is [ˈsaβ̞es] while sables is [ˈsaβ̞les]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35245, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sabes is recorded at frequency rank #474, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈsaβ̞es]. sables is at rank #34,771, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈsaβ̞les].

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 35245, this pair ranks #187,138 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of sabes vs sables

Shared letters: abes. Private to "sabes": -. Private to "sables": l.

"sabes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "sables" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sabesasbes · sabbes · sabess · sabse · saebs · saves · sbaes · ssabes
  • sablesasbles · sabbles · sabels · sabless · sablles · sablse · salbes · savles

Frequency comparison

sabes#474
sables#34,771

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sabes" and "sables" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "sabes" is a verb and "sables" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "sabes" or "sables"?
"sabes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #474 in our Spanish list, against #34,771 for "sables". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering sabes vs sables

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “sabes”; for a noun, it's “sables”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sabes” 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