indica vs indicate, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“indica” is a noun and “indicate” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#34,935
“indica” frequency rank: #3,952
“indicate” frequency rank: 38887
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	indica	indicate
Definition	Any of the indica subspecies of the rice, Oryza sativa, which (unlike the japonica or sinica subspecies) are non-sticky and long-grained.	To point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set indica and indicate apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch

indica

8 ch

indicate

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

indica and indicate form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “indica” sits inside “indicate” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38887, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

indica is recorded at frequency rank #34,935, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈɪn.dɪ.kə/. indicate is at rank #3,952, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈɪndɪˌkeɪt/.

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 38887, this pair ranks #281,804 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

indica#34,935

indicate#3,952

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "indica" and "indicate" be used interchangeably?

No, "indica" and "indicate" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering indica vs indicate

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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