trabajanvstrabajoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: trabajan is a verb, trabajo is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“trabajan” is a verb and “trabajo” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,750
“trabajan” frequency rank
#119
“trabajo” frequency rank
2869
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature trabajan trabajo
Definition Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de trabajar. Acción o efecto de trabajar (ocuparse en una actividad).

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
trabajan
7 ch
trabajo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

trabajan and trabajo 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 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2869, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

trabajan is recorded at frequency rank #2,750, classified as averb, pronounced [t̪ɾaˈβ̞axãn]. trabajo is at rank #119, tagged as anoun, pronounced [t̪ɾaˈβ̞axo].

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 2869, this pair ranks #319,493 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

trabajan#2,750
trabajo#119

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "trabajan" and "trabajo" be used interchangeably?
No, "trabajan" and "trabajo" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering trabajan vs trabajo

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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