Which to use
“tiempo” and “tiempos” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #75
- “tiempo” frequency rank
- #928
- “tiempos” frequency rank
- 1003
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tiempo | tiempos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Magnitud física básica que permite medir la duración de eventos o de procesos de cambio. Su unidad en el Sistema Internacional de Unidades es el segundo. El tiempo permite ordenar la sucesión de estados de cualquier proceso en un eje con un sentido no reversible del pasado al futuro. | Forma del plural de tiempo. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tiempo and tiempos apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
tiempo and tiempos form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “tiempo” sits inside “tiempos” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1003, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tiempo is recorded at frequency rank #75, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt̪jẽmpo]. tiempos is at rank #928, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt̪jẽmpos].
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 1003, this pair ranks #322,696 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tiempo" and "tiempos" be used interchangeably?
Remembering tiempo vs tiempos
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 “tiempo” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable