caviarvscriarWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: caviar is a noun, criar is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“caviar” is a noun and “criar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#25,936
“caviar” frequency rank
#12,791
“criar” frequency rank
38727
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature caviar criar
Definition Manjar de huevas de esturión u otro pescado, saladas para su conserva, que se considera una delicadeza gastronómica. Producir algo de la nada.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set caviar and criar apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
caviar
5 ch
criar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: caviar is [kaˈβ̞jaɾ] while criar is [ˈkɾjaɾ]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38727, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

caviar is recorded at frequency rank #25,936, classified as anoun, pronounced [kaˈβ̞jaɾ]. criar is at rank #12,791, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈkɾjaɾ].

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 38727, this pair ranks #168,403 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of caviar vs criar

Shared letters: acir. Private to "caviar": v. Private to "criar": -.

"caviar" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC  ·  "criar" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • caviaracviar · cabiar · caivar · cavair · caviarr · cavira · cavviar · ccaviar
  • criarccriar · cirar · crair · criarr · crira · crriar · rciar

Frequency comparison

caviar#25,936
criar#12,791

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "caviar" and "criar" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "caviar" is a noun and "criar" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "caviar" or "criar"?
"criar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #12,791 in our Spanish list, against #25,936 for "caviar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering caviar vs criar

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “caviar”; for a verb, it's “criar”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “caviar” 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