Which to use
“acariciar” is a verb and “avaricia” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #26,287
- “acariciar” frequency rank
- #17,353
- “avaricia” frequency rank
- 43640
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | acariciar | avaricia |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pasar suavemente la mano o los dedos sobre el cuerpo de una persona o animal, como demostración de afecto. | Avidez, afán o deseo desmesurado de poseer, especialmente dinero o riquezas, con la intención de acumularlos para uno mismo. |
Where the eye mixes acariciar and avaricia
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. acariciar runs 9 letters (VCVCVCVVC) against avaricia's 8 (VCVCVCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses acariciar with avaricia
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: acariciar is [akaɾiˈsjaɾ] while avaricia is [aβ̞aˈɾisja]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43640, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
acariciar is recorded at frequency rank #26,287, classified as averb, pronounced [akaɾiˈsjaɾ]. avaricia is at rank #17,353, tagged as anoun, pronounced [aβ̞aˈɾisja].
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 43640, this pair ranks #141,535 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of acariciar vs avaricia
Shared letters: acir. Private to "acariciar": -. Private to "avaricia": v.
"acariciar" · 9 letters · shape VCVCVCVVC · "avaricia" · 8 letters · shape VCVCVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "acariciar" and "avaricia" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "acariciar" vs "avaricia" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "acariciar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "avaricia" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #141,535 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "acariciar" and "avaricia" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "acariciaba vs acariciar". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #141,535 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.