carecervscreceWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“carecer” and “crece” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#24,414
“carecer” frequency rank
#3,995
“crece” frequency rank
28409
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature carecer crece
Definition Tener falta de alguna cosa Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de crecer.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set carecer and crece apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
carecer
5 ch
crece

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. carecer ([kaɾeˈseɾ]) and crece ([ˈkɾese]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28409, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

carecer is recorded at frequency rank #24,414, classified as averb, pronounced [kaɾeˈseɾ]. crece is at rank #3,995, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkɾese].

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 28409, this pair ranks #222,178 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of carecer vs crece

Shared letters: cer. Private to "carecer": a. Private to "crece": -.

"carecer" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC  ·  "crece" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • careceracrecer · caercer · carceer · careccer · carecerr · carecre · careecr · careser
  • crececcrece · cerce · crcee · crecce · creec · crrece · rcece

Frequency comparison

carecer#24,414
crece#3,995

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "carecer" and "crece" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kaɾeˈseɾ] versus [ˈkɾese]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "carecer" or "crece"?
"crece" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,995 in our Spanish list, against #24,414 for "carecer". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering carecer vs crece

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “carecer” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list