UlisesvsútilesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Ulises is a name, útiles is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Ulises” is a name and “útiles” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#17,311
“Ulises” frequency rank
#4,846
“útiles” frequency rank
22157
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Ulises útiles
Definition Nombre de pila de varón Forma del plural de útil.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Ulises and útiles apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Ulises
6 ch
útiles

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Ulises is [uˈlises] while útiles is [ˈut̪iles]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22157, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Ulises is recorded at frequency rank #17,311, classified as aname, pronounced [uˈlises]. útiles is at rank #4,846, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈut̪iles].

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 22157, this pair ranks #251,654 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Ulises vs útiles

Shared letters: eils. Private to "Ulises": u. Private to "útiles": .

"Ulises" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC  ·  "útiles" · 6 letters · shape VCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Ulisesluises · uilses · ulices · uliess · ulisess · ulisse · ulisses · ullises

Frequency comparison

Ulises#17,311
útiles#4,846

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Ulises" and "útiles" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Ulises" is a name and "útiles" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Ulises" or "útiles"?
"útiles" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,846 in our Spanish list, against #17,311 for "Ulises". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Ulises vs útiles

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a name, it's “Ulises”; for an adjective, it's “útiles”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Ulises” 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