tímidovstímidosWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#15,749
“tímido” frequency rank
#32,912
“tímidos” frequency rank
48661
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tímido tímidos
Definition Que reacciona de forma insegura y con vergüenza ante el contacto o la presencia de otros, que siente timidez. Forma del plural de tímido.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tímido and tímidos apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
tímido
7 ch
tímidos

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tímido ([ˈt̪imið̞o]) and tímidos ([ˈt̪imið̞os]) 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) - “tímido” sits inside “tímidos”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48661, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tímido is recorded at frequency rank #15,749, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈt̪imið̞o]. tímidos is at rank #32,912, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈt̪imið̞os].

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 48661, this pair ranks #113,198 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of tímido vs tímidos

Shared letters: dimotí. Private to "tímido": -. Private to "tímidos": s.

"tímido" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "tímidos" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Frequency comparison

tímido#15,749
tímidos#32,912

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tímido" and "tímidos" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈt̪imið̞o] versus [ˈt̪imið̞os]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tímido" or "tímidos"?
"tímido" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,749 in our Spanish list, against #32,912 for "tímidos". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering tímido vs tímidos

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 “tímido” 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