tomesvstumbesWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#9,906
“tomes” frequency rank
#39,507
“tumbes” frequency rank
49413
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tomes tumbes
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de tomar o de tomarse. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de tumbar.

Where the eye mixes tomes and tumbes

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. tomes runs 5 letters (CVCVC) against tumbes's 6 (CVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
tomes
6 ch
tumbes

Look-alike desk: tomes vs tumbes

A purely visual mix-up. tomes ([ˈt̪omes]) and tumbes ([ˈt̪ũmbes]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49413, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tomes is recorded at frequency rank #9,906, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈt̪omes]. tumbes is at rank #39,507, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈt̪ũmbes].

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 49413, this pair ranks #109,000 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of tomes vs tumbes

Shared letters: emst. Private to "tomes": o. Private to "tumbes": bu.

"tomes" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "tumbes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tomes ← otmes · tmoes · toems · tomess · tommes · tomse · ttomes
  • tumbes ← tmubes · ttumbes · tubmes · tumbbes · tumbess · tumbse · tumebs · tummbes

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tomes" and "tumbes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈt̪omes] versus [ˈt̪ũmbes]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tomes" or "tumbes"?
"tomes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,906 in our Spanish list, against #39,507 for "tumbes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "tomes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "tumbes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #109,000 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "tomes" and "tumbes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "tumbes vs turbas". 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 #109,000 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