TomásvstómeseWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Tomás is a name, tómese is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Tomás” is a name and “tómese” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,384
“Tomás” frequency rank
#35,292
“tómese” frequency rank
39676
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Tomás tómese
Definition Nombre de pila de varón. Segunda persona del singular (usted) del imperativo afirmativo de tomarse (con el pronombre «se» enclítico).

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Tomás
6 ch
tómese

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Tomás is [t̪oˈmas] while tómese is [ˈt̪omese]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39676, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Tomás is recorded at frequency rank #4,384, classified as aname, pronounced [t̪oˈmas]. tómese is at rank #35,292, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt̪omese].

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 39676, this pair ranks #163,239 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Tomás vs tómese

Shared letters: mst. Private to "Tomás": . Private to "tómese": .

"Tomás" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "tómese" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Frequency comparison

Tomás#4,384
tómese#35,292

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Tomás" and "tómese" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Tomás" is a name and "tómese" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Tomás" or "tómese"?
"Tomás" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,384 in our Spanish list, against #35,292 for "tómese". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Tomás vs tómese

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a name, it's “Tomás”; for a verb, it's “tómese”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Tomás” 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