Which to use
“arco” is a noun and “arde” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,609
- “arco” frequency rank
- #13,394
- “arde” frequency rank
- 17003
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | arco | arde |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Arma elaborada a partir de una barra material elástico amarrada por ambos extremos a una cuerda la cual se utiliza para impulsar flechas. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de arder. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set arco and arde apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
arco and arde form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17003, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
arco is recorded at frequency rank #3,609, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈaɾko]. 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 17003, this pair ranks #273,935 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "arco" and "arde" be used interchangeably?
Remembering arco vs arde
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “arco”; for a verb, it's “arde”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “arco” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable