Which to use
“sólo” is an adverb and “soy” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #127
- “sólo” frequency rank
- #134
- “soy” frequency rank
- 261
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sólo | soy |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de ser. |
Where the eye mixes sólo and soy
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between sólo and soy
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sólo is [ˈsolo] while soy is [ˈsoj]. 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 261, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sólo is recorded at frequency rank #127, classified as anadv, pronounced [ˈsolo]. soy is at rank #134, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈsoj].
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 261, this pair ranks #323,605 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sólo vs soy
Shared letters: os. Private to "sólo": ló. Private to "soy": y.
"sólo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "soy" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "sólo" and "soy" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "sólo" or "soy" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "sólo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "soy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #323,605 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sólo" and "soy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sila vs sólo". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #323,605 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.