tiernavstiernasWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#12,495
“tierna” frequency rank
#25,067
“tiernas” frequency rank
37562
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tierna tiernas
Definition Forma del femenino de tierno. Forma del femenino plural de tierno.

Where the eye mixes tierna and tiernas

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

6 ch
tierna
7 ch
tiernas

Look-alike desk: tierna vs tiernas

A purely visual mix-up. tierna ([ˈt̪jeɾna]) and tiernas ([ˈt̪jeɾnas]) 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) - “tierna” sits inside “tiernas”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37562, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tierna is recorded at frequency rank #12,495, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈt̪jeɾna]. tiernas is at rank #25,067, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈt̪jeɾnas].

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 37562, this pair ranks #174,655 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of tierna vs tiernas

Shared letters: aeinrt. Private to "tierna": -. Private to "tiernas": s.

"tierna" · 6 letters · shape CVVCCV  ·  "tiernas" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tierna ← iterna · teirna · tienra · tieran · tiernna · tierrna · tirena · ttierna
  • tiernas ← iternas · teirnas · tienras · tierans · tiernass · tiernnas · tiernsa · tierrnas

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tierna" and "tiernas" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈt̪jeɾna] versus [ˈt̪jeɾnas]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "tierna" vs "tiernas" - which ranks higher?
"tierna" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,495 in our Spanish list, against #25,067 for "tiernas". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "tierna" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "tiernas" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #174,655 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "tierna" and "tiernas" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tabernas vs tiernas". 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 #174,655 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