sótanovssótanosTell them apart

Which to use

“sótano” and “sótanos” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#12,937
“sótano” frequency rank
#36,316
“sótanos” frequency rank
49253
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sótano sótanos
Definition Espacio subterráneo bajo una casa que no se destina a habitaciones. Forma del plural de sótano.

Where the eye mixes sótano and sótanos

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. sótano runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against sótanos's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
sótano
7 ch
sótanos

Look-alike desk: sótano vs sótanos

A purely visual mix-up. sótano ([ˈsot̪ano]) and sótanos ([ˈsot̪anos]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “sótano” sits inside “sótanos”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49253, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sótano is recorded at frequency rank #12,937, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈsot̪ano]. sótanos is at rank #36,316, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈsot̪anos].

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 49253, this pair ranks #109,873 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of sótano vs sótanos

Shared letters: anostó. Private to "sótano": -. Private to "sótanos": -.

"sótano" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "sótanos" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sótano" and "sótanos" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈsot̪ano] versus [ˈsot̪anos]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "sótano" or "sótanos"?
"sótano" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,937 in our Spanish list, against #36,316 for "sótanos". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "sótano" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "sótanos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #109,873 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "sótano" and "sótanos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sotana vs sótanos". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #109,873 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list