unesvsunsWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: unes is a verb, uns is a pronoun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“unes” is a verb and “uns” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#33,365
“unes” frequency rank
#39,514
“uns” frequency rank
72879
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature unes uns
Definition Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de unir o de unirse. Forma del acusativo de wir.

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
unes
3 ch
uns

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: unes is [ˈunes] while uns is /ʊns/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72879, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

unes is recorded at frequency rank #33,365, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈunes]. uns is at rank #39,514, tagged as apron, pronounced /ʊns/.

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 72879, this pair ranks #24,464 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of unes vs uns

Shared letters: nsu. Private to "unes": e. Private to "uns": -.

"unes" · 4 letters · shape VCVC  ·  "uns" · 3 letters · shape VCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • unesnues · uens · uness · unnes · unse

Frequency comparison

unes#33,365
uns#39,514

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "unes" and "uns" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "unes" is a verb and "uns" a pronoun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "unes" or "uns"?
"unes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #33,365 in our Spanish list, against #39,514 for "uns". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering unes vs uns

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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