Which to use
“agrio” and “agudo” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,386
- “agrio” frequency rank
- #12,085
- “agudo” frequency rank
- 48471
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | agrio | agudo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que tiene sabor u olor ácido, como el del limón o el vinagre, producido por la concentración de iones hidronios. | Que tiene punta, filo, corte, etcétera; sumamente fino y adelgazado, especialmente hablando de armas blancas, de instrumentos, etc. |
Where the eye mixes agrio and agudo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. agrio (VCCVV) and agudo (VCVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses agrio with agudo
A purely visual mix-up. agrio ([ˈaɣ̞ɾjo]) and agudo ([aˈɣ̞uð̞o]) 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 48471, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
agrio is recorded at frequency rank #36,386, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈaɣ̞ɾjo]. agudo is at rank #12,085, tagged as anadj, pronounced [aˈɣ̞uð̞o].
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 48471, this pair ranks #114,303 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of agrio vs agudo
Shared letters: ago. Private to "agrio": ir. Private to "agudo": du.
"agrio" · 5 letters · shape VCCVV · "agudo" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "agrio" for "agudo" ever safe?
Which is more common, "agrio" or "agudo"?
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 "agrio" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "agudo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #114,303 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "agrio" and "agudo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "agobio vs agrio". 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 #114,303 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.