Which to use
“sensación” is a noun and “sensacional” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,996
- “sensación” frequency rank
- #20,825
- “sensacional” frequency rank
- 22821
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sensación | sensacional |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Impresión que las cosas producen en la mente por medio de los sentidos: sensación de frío, de oscuridad. | Que causa sensación; que atrae mucho la atención. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sensación and sensacional apart are highlighted. They share 8 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: sensación is [sẽnsaˈsjõn] while sensacional is [sẽnsasjoˈnal]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22821, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sensación is recorded at frequency rank #1,996, classified as anoun, pronounced [sẽnsaˈsjõn]. sensacional is at rank #20,825, tagged as anadj, pronounced [sẽnsasjoˈnal].
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 22821, this pair ranks #248,593 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sensación vs sensacional
Shared letters: aceins. Private to "sensación": ó. Private to "sensacional": lo.
"sensación" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVVC · "sensacional" · 11 letters · shape CVCCVCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- sensacional ← censacional · esnsacional · senascional · sennsacional · sensaccional · sensacinoal · sensacioanl · sensacionall
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sensación" and "sensacional" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sensación" or "sensacional"?
Remembering sensación vs sensacional
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “sensación”; for an adjective, it's “sensacional”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sensación” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable