Which to use
“tarda” and “tardías” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,631
- “tarda” frequency rank
- #45,038
- “tardías” frequency rank
- 52669
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tarda | tardías |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del femenino singular de tardo. | Forma del femenino plural de tardío. |
Where the eye mixes tarda and tardías
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. tarda runs 5 letters (CVCCV) against tardías's 7 (CVCCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses tarda with tardías
A purely visual mix-up. tarda ([ˈt̪aɾð̞a]) and tardías ([t̪aɾˈð̞ias]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52669, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tarda is recorded at frequency rank #7,631, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈt̪aɾð̞a]. tardías is at rank #45,038, tagged as anadj, pronounced [t̪aɾˈð̞ias].
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 52669, this pair ranks #91,609 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of tarda vs tardías
Shared letters: adrt. Private to "tarda": -. Private to "tardías": sí.
"tarda" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "tardías" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- tarda ← atrda · tadra · tarad · tardda · tarrda · trada · ttarda
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "tarda" for "tardías" ever safe?
Frequency check: "tarda" vs "tardías" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "tarda" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "tardías" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #91,609 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "tarda" and "tardías" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tardías vs tardíos". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #91,609 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.