túnelvstúnelesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#7,240
“túnel” frequency rank
#13,159
“túneles” frequency rank
20399
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature túnel túneles
Definition Galería subterránea artificial a través de un monte u obstáculo físico, por debajo de un río, lago o mar. Forma del plural de túnel.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set túnel and túneles apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
túnel
7 ch
túneles

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. túnel ([ˈt̪unel]) and túneles ([ˈt̪uneles]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “túnel” sits inside “túneles”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20399, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

túnel is recorded at frequency rank #7,240, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt̪unel]. túneles is at rank #13,159, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈt̪uneles].

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 20399, this pair ranks #259,506 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of túnel vs túneles

Shared letters: elntú. Private to "túnel": -. Private to "túneles": s.

"túnel" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "túneles" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Frequency comparison

túnel#7,240
túneles#13,159

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "túnel" and "túneles" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈt̪unel] versus [ˈt̪uneles]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "túnel" or "túneles"?
"túnel" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,240 in our Spanish list, against #13,159 for "túneles". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering túnel vs túneles

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 “túnel” 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