tumbarvstumbesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#27,436
“tumbar” frequency rank
#39,507
“tumbes” frequency rank
66943
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature tumbar tumbes
Definition Hacer caer o derribar a una persona o cosa. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de subjuntivo de tumbar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set tumbar and tumbes apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
tumbar
6 ch
tumbes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. tumbar ([t̪ũmˈbaɾ]) 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 share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 66943, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

tumbar is recorded at frequency rank #27,436, classified as averb, pronounced [t̪ũmˈbaɾ]. 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 66943, this pair ranks #38,444 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of tumbar vs tumbes

Shared letters: bmtu. Private to "tumbar": ar. Private to "tumbes": es.

"tumbar" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "tumbes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • tumbartmubar · ttumbar · tubmar · tumabr · tumbarr · tumbbar · tumbra · tummbar
  • tumbestmubes · ttumbes · tubmes · tumbbes · tumbess · tumbse · tumebs · tummbes

Frequency comparison

tumbar#27,436
tumbes#39,507

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "tumbar" and "tumbes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([t̪ũmˈbaɾ] versus [ˈt̪ũmbes]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "tumbar" or "tumbes"?
"tumbar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,436 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.

Remembering tumbar vs tumbes

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 “tumbar” 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