Which to use
“single” is an adjective and “singles” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,761
- “single” frequency rank
- #23,953
- “singles” frequency rank
- 34714
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | single | singles |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 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. | Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de singlar. |
Where the eye mixes single and singles
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: single vs singles
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: single is [ˈsĩŋgle] while singles is [ˈsĩŋgles]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “single” sits inside “singles”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34714, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
single is recorded at frequency rank #10,761, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈsĩŋgle]. singles is at rank #23,953, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈsĩŋgles].
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 34714, this pair ranks #189,962 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of single vs singles
Shared letters: egilns. Private to "single": -. Private to "singles": -.
"single" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "singles" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "single" for "singles" ever safe?
Which is more common, "single" or "singles"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "single" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "singles" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #189,962 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "single" and "singles" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "señalé vs single". 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 #189,962 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.