talónvstesónWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#21,174
“talón” frequency rank
#47,449
“tesón” frequency rank
68623
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature talón tesón
Definition Parte posterior del pie con la que se pisa. Continuidad del esfuerzo hacia una meta, en especial frente a la fatiga o adversidad.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set talón and tesón apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
talón
5 ch
tesón

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. talón ([t̪aˈlõn]) and tesón ([t̪eˈsõn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68623, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

talón is recorded at frequency rank #21,174, classified as anoun, pronounced [t̪aˈlõn]. tesón is at rank #47,449, tagged as anoun, pronounced [t̪eˈsõn].

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 68623, this pair ranks #34,011 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of talón vs tesón

Shared letters: ntó. Private to "talón": al. Private to "tesón": es.

"talón" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "tesón" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Frequency comparison

talón#21,174
tesón#47,449

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "talón" and "tesón" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([t̪aˈlõn] versus [t̪eˈsõn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "talón" or "tesón"?
"talón" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,174 in our Spanish list, against #47,449 for "tesón". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering talón vs tesón

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “talón” 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