Which to use
“señal” is a noun and “señalé” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,918
- “señal” frequency rank
- #46,808
- “señalé” frequency rank
- 48726
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | señal | señalé |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Marca o nota que se pone o hay en las cosas para darlas a conocer y distinguirlas de otras. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de señalar. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set señal and señalé apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: señal is [seˈɲal] while señalé is [seɲaˈle]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “señal” sits inside “señalé”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48726, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
señal is recorded at frequency rank #1,918, classified as anoun, pronounced [seˈɲal]. señalé is at rank #46,808, tagged as averb, pronounced [seɲaˈle].
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 48726, this pair ranks #112,875 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of señal vs señalé
Shared letters: aelsñ. Private to "señal": -. Private to "señalé": é.
"señal" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "señalé" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "señal" and "señalé" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "señal" or "señalé"?
Remembering señal vs señalé
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “señal”; for a verb, it's “señalé”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “señal” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable