Which to use
“arce” is a noun and “arde” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,186
- “arce” frequency rank
- #13,394
- “arde” frequency rank
- 26580
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | arce | arde |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (Acer spp.) Cualquiera de varias especies de árboles y arbustos del hemisferio norte, de características hojas opuestas, muchas veces palmatilobuladas. Florecen formando inflorescencias en racimos, corimbos o umbelas de floros pentámeros, que fructifican en parejas de sámaras muy distintivas. Son una importante fuente de polen y néctar para la apicultura, y tienen varios usos comerciales, incluyendo el ornamental, la madera y la elaboración de jarabe. Es el árbol nacional de Canadá. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de arder. |
Where the eye mixes arce and arde
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses arce with arde
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: arce is [ˈaɾse] while arde is [ˈaɾð̞e]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - c in “arce” becomes d in “arde”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26580, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
arce is recorded at frequency rank #13,186, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈaɾse]. arde is at rank #13,394, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈaɾð̞e].
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 26580, this pair ranks #230,970 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of arce vs arde
Shared letters: aer. Private to "arce": c. Private to "arde": d.
"arce" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "arde" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "arce" and "arde" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "arce" or "arde"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "arce" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "arde" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #230,970 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "arce" and "arde" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abrace vs arce". 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 #230,970 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.