Which to use
“sing” is a verb and “single” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #26,238
- “sing” frequency rank
- #10,761
- “single” frequency rank
- 36999
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sing | single |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Cantar | Dícese de cualquier cabo que laborea sencillo, como la braza, el amantillo, etc. cuando uno de sus chicotes está hecho firme en el peñol de la verga. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sing and single apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
sing and single form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “sing” sits inside “single” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36999, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sing is recorded at frequency rank #26,238, classified as averb, pronounced /sɪŋ/. single is at rank #10,761, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈsĩŋgle].
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 36999, this pair ranks #177,674 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sing" and "single" be used interchangeably?
Remembering sing vs single
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “sing”; for an adjective, it's “single”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sing” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable