Which to use
“uno” is a num and “uns” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #77
- “uno” frequency rank
- #39,514
- “uns” frequency rank
- 39591
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | uno | uns |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | La cantidad de una cosa solitaria (a saber, sin otros). | Forma del acusativo de wir. |
Where the eye mixes uno and uns
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. uno (VCV) and uns (VCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: uno vs uns
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: uno is [ˈuno] while uns is /ʊns/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - o in “uno” becomes s in “uns”, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39591, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
uno is recorded at frequency rank #77, classified as anum, pronounced [ˈuno]. 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 39591, this pair ranks #163,703 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of uno vs uns
Shared letters: nu. Private to "uno": o. Private to "uns": s.
"uno" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "uns" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "uno" and "uns" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "uno" or "uns" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "uno" and "uns" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "uno" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "uns" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #163,703 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "uno" and "uns" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "uns vs UPN". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #163,703 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.