solterovssoltóWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: soltero is a adjective, soltó is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“soltero” is an adjective and “soltó” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#8,318
“soltero” frequency rank
#16,457
“soltó” frequency rank
24775
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature soltero soltó
Definition Que no está sujeto a otra cosa. 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 soltero and soltó apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
soltero
5 ch
soltó

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: soltero is [sol̪ˈt̪eɾo] while soltó is [sol̪ˈt̪o]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24775, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

soltero is recorded at frequency rank #8,318, classified as anadj, pronounced [sol̪ˈt̪eɾo]. 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 24775, this pair ranks #239,554 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of soltero vs soltó

Shared letters: lost. Private to "soltero": er. Private to "soltó": ó.

"soltero" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "soltó" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • solteroosltero · slotero · soletro · solltero · solteor · solterro · soltreo · solttero

Frequency comparison

soltero#8,318
soltó#16,457

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "soltero" and "soltó" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "soltero" is an adjective and "soltó" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "soltero" or "soltó"?
"soltero" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,318 in our Spanish list, against #16,457 for "soltó". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering soltero vs soltó

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “soltero”; for a verb, it's “soltó”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “soltero” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list