abdicarvsaplicarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“abdicar” and “aplicar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#46,291
“abdicar” frequency rank
#2,861
“aplicar” frequency rank
49152
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature abdicar aplicar
Definition Renunciar al ejercicio de un derecho. Poner una cosa sobre o en contacto de otra.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abdicar and aplicar apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
abdicar
7 ch
aplicar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. abdicar ([aβ̞ð̞iˈkaɾ]) and aplicar ([apliˈkaɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49152, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

abdicar is recorded at frequency rank #46,291, classified as averb, pronounced [aβ̞ð̞iˈkaɾ]. aplicar is at rank #2,861, tagged as averb, pronounced [apliˈkaɾ].

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 49152, this pair ranks #110,438 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of abdicar vs aplicar

Shared letters: acir. Private to "abdicar": bd. Private to "aplicar": lp.

"abdicar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC  ·  "aplicar" · 7 letters · shape VCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • abdicarabbdicar · abdciar · abddicar · abdiacr · abdicarr · abdiccar · abdicra · abidcar
  • aplicaralpicar · apilcar · aplciar · apliacr · aplicarr · apliccar · aplicra · apllicar

Frequency comparison

abdicar#46,291
aplicar#2,861

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "abdicar" and "aplicar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([aβ̞ð̞iˈkaɾ] versus [apliˈkaɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "abdicar" or "aplicar"?
"aplicar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,861 in our Spanish list, against #46,291 for "abdicar". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering abdicar vs aplicar

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “abdicar” 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