Which to use
“tontería” and “tonterías” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,596
- “tontería” frequency rank
- #7,235
- “tonterías” frequency rank
- 15831
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | tontería | tonterías |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Condición de tonto. | Forma del plural de tontería |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tontería and tonterías apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
tontería and tonterías 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) - “tontería” sits inside “tonterías” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15831, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
tontería is recorded at frequency rank #8,596, classified as anoun, pronounced [t̪õn̪t̪eˈɾia]. tonterías is at rank #7,235, tagged as anoun, pronounced [t̪õn̪t̪eˈɾias].
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 15831, this pair ranks #278,606 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "tontería" and "tonterías" be used interchangeably?
Remembering tontería vs tonterías
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 “tontería” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable