Which to use
“shows” and “spots” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,135
- “shows” frequency rank
- #30,263
- “spots” frequency rank
- 41398
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | shows | spots |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del plural de show ('espectáculos'). | Forma del plural de spot. |
Where the eye mixes shows and spots
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses shows with spots
A purely visual mix-up. shows (/ʃəʊz/) and spots (/spɒts/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41398, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
shows is recorded at frequency rank #11,135, classified as anoun, pronounced /ʃəʊz/. spots is at rank #30,263, tagged as anoun, pronounced /spɒts/.
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 41398, this pair ranks #153,861 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of shows vs spots
Shared letters: os. Private to "shows": hw. Private to "spots": pt.
"shows" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "spots" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "shows" and "spots" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "shows" vs "spots" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "shows" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "spots" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #153,861 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "shows" and "spots" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sous vs spots". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #153,861 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.