Which to use
“cerca” is an adverb and “cercana” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #351
- “cerca” frequency rank
- #3,762
- “cercana” frequency rank
- 4113
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cerca | cercana |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A pequeña distancia. | Forma del femenino singular de cercano. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cerca and cercana apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: cerca is [ˈseɾka] while cercana is [seɾˈkana]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “cerca” sits inside “cercana”, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4113, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cerca is recorded at frequency rank #351, classified as anadv, pronounced [ˈseɾka]. cercana is at rank #3,762, tagged as anadj, pronounced [seɾˈkana].
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 4113, this pair ranks #316,854 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of cerca vs cercana
Shared letters: acer. Private to "cerca": -. Private to "cercana": n.
"cerca" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "cercana" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cerca" and "cercana" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "cerca" or "cercana"?
Remembering cerca vs cercana
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “cerca”; for an adjective, it's “cercana”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cerca” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable