Little vs Small vs Tiny

Cuándo usar cada una en inglés, con significado, registro y ejemplos.

Little

Top 1000 (muy común) A1 adjective

Small

Top 1000 (muy común) A1 adjective

Tiny

Top 2000 (común) B1 adjective

	Little	Small	Tiny
Pronunciación	🇬🇧 /["/ˈlɪtl/","/ˈlɪtlə(r)/","/ˈlɪtlɪst/"]/ 🇺🇸 /["/ˈlɪtl/","/ˈlɪtlər/","/ˈlɪtlɪst/"]/	🇬🇧 /["/smɔːl/"]/ 🇺🇸 /["/smɔːl/"]/	🇬🇧 /["/ˈtaɪni/"]/ 🇺🇸 /["/ˈtaɪni/"]/
Significado	small in size or amount	Not big in size.	very small
Ejemplo	She has a little dog that loves to play.	She has a small puppy that loves to play.	She has a tiny puppy that fits in her hand.
Registro	Neutral	Neutral	Neutral
Qué tan común	Top 1000 (muy común)	Top 1000 (muy común)	Top 2000 (común)
Nivel CEFR	A1	A1	B1
Categoría gramatical	adjective	adjective	adjective
Colocaciones	little help, little house, little brother, little time, little bit	be, feel, look, extremely, fairly, very, for, big and small, large and small, smaller and smaller	be, feel, look, extremely, fairly, very, little tiny, tiny little
Antónimos	big, large, huge	large, big, huge	huge, enormous, massive
Errores comunes	Using 'littler' as a comparative, instead of 'smaller', Confusing with 'few' when referring to countable items, Omitting 'a' before 'little' in a sentence like 'I have little money.'	Confusing 'small' with 'little' in size comparisons., Using 'small' to describe quantity when 'few' is more appropriate., 'Small' may be incorrectly used as a noun.	Using 'tiny' for things that are merely small, not extremely small., Confusing 'tiny' with 'little', which can have different connotations., Using it in a formal context where more precise language is needed.
Notas de uso	Used to describe size, age, or quantity. Can be affectionate when referring to people (e.g., 'little brother'). Avoid using in formal contexts where more precise terms are needed.	Use 'small' when describing size, usually negative or neutral. Don't use it for formal contexts like technical descriptions where precision is needed.	Use 'tiny' to describe objects or animals that are very small. It's suitable for everyday conversation but may not fit formal writing. Avoid using it for larger items.

Míralo en clips reales

How I Met Your Mother › S1 E1

I do those dumb little fluff pieces at the end of the news.

Agent Carter › S1 E1

Just a little piece of paper, right?

House Of Cards › S1 E1

A little trim.

How I Met Your Mother › S1 E1

I do those dumb little fluff pieces at the end of the news.

Agent Carter › S1 E1

Just a little piece of paper, right?

Little

The Pitt › S1 E1

and a small bowel obstruction waiting on surgery

Small

Preguntas frecuentes: Little vs Small vs Tiny

¿Cuál es la diferencia entre Little, Small y Tiny?

Little: small in size or amount Small: Not big in size. Tiny: very small

¿Cuál es más avanzada: Little, Small y Tiny?

Tiny es la de nivel más alto, en B1, en la escala CEFR.

¿Little, Small y Tiny tienen el mismo nivel CEFR?

Little: A1, Small: A1, Tiny: B1 en la escala CEFR.

¿Qué categoría gramatical son Little, Small y Tiny?

Little: adjective, Small: adjective, Tiny: adjective.

¿Puedes mostrar un ejemplo de cada una?

Little: She has a little dog that loves to play. Small: She has a small puppy that loves to play. Tiny: She has a tiny puppy that fits in her hand.

¿Puedo usar Little, Small y Tiny indistintamente?

No siempre. Little, Small y Tiny están relacionadas y a veces se solapan, pero difieren en registro, frecuencia y uso, así que cambiar una por otra puede alterar el significado o el tono. Revisa las diferencias de arriba antes de sustituir.