Which to use
“álgido” and “ávido” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,835
- “álgido” frequency rank
- #35,837
- “ávido” frequency rank
- 71672
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | álgido | ávido |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | De una temperatura muy inferior a la normal o deseable; extremadamente frío. | Que siente un fuerte e intenso deseo de conseguir o hacer algo. |
Where the eye mixes álgido and ávido
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. álgido runs 6 letters (VCCVCV) against ávido's 5 (VCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses álgido with ávido
A purely visual mix-up. álgido ([ˈalxið̞o]) and ávido ([ˈaβ̞ið̞o]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71672, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
álgido is recorded at frequency rank #35,835, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈalxið̞o]. ávido is at rank #35,837, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈaβ̞ið̞o].
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 71672, this pair ranks #26,995 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of álgido vs ávido
Shared letters: dioá. Private to "álgido": gl. Private to "ávido": v.
"álgido" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV · "ávido" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "álgido" for "ávido" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "álgido" or "ávido" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "álgido" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ávido" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #26,995 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "álgido" and "ávido" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "alió vs ávido". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #26,995 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.