Which to use
“sólo” is an adverb and “soltó” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #127
- “sólo” frequency rank
- #16,457
- “soltó” frequency rank
- 16584
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sólo | soltó |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Grafía alternativa de solo (adverbio). Cada vez que deba entenderse como equivalente de solamente y sea posible la confusión con el adjetivo homónimo, es optativo tildar la palabra para desambiguar. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de soltar. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sólo and soltó apart are highlighted. They share 2 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: sólo is [ˈsolo] while soltó is [sol̪ˈt̪o]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16584, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sólo is recorded at frequency rank #127, classified as anadv, pronounced [ˈsolo]. soltó is at rank #16,457, tagged as averb, pronounced [sol̪ˈt̪o].
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 16584, this pair ranks #275,556 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sólo vs soltó
Shared letters: losó. Private to "sólo": -. Private to "soltó": t.
"sólo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "soltó" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sólo" and "soltó" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sólo" or "soltó"?
Remembering sólo vs soltó
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “sólo”; for a verb, it's “soltó”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sólo” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable