Which to use
“carece” is a verb and “carente” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,114
- “carece” frequency rank
- #20,921
- “carente” frequency rank
- 28035
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | carece | carente |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de carecer. | Que tiene falta de algo. |
Where the eye mixes carece and carente
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between carece and carente
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: carece is [kaˈɾese] while carente is [kaˈɾẽn̪t̪e]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28035, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
carece is recorded at frequency rank #7,114, classified as averb, pronounced [kaˈɾese]. carente is at rank #20,921, tagged as anadj, pronounced [kaˈɾẽn̪t̪e].
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 28035, this pair ranks #223,970 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of carece vs carente
Shared letters: acer. Private to "carece": -. Private to "carente": nt.
"carece" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "carente" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "carece" and "carente" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "carece" or "carente"?
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 "carece" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "carente" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #223,970 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "carece" and "carente" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "calentó vs carente". 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 #223,970 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.