cercasvscierrasWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#28,280
“cercas” frequency rank
#30,807
“cierras” frequency rank
59087
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cercas cierras
Definition Forma del plural de cerca. Segunda persona del singular (tú) del presente de indicativo de cerrar o de cerrarse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
cercas
7 ch
cierras

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: cercas is [ˈseɾkas] while cierras is [ˈsjeras]. 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 59087, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cercas is recorded at frequency rank #28,280, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈseɾkas]. cierras is at rank #30,807, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈsjeras].

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 59087, this pair ranks #63,949 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of cercas vs cierras

Shared letters: acers. Private to "cercas": -. Private to "cierras": i.

"cercas" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "cierras" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • cercasccercas · cecras · ceracs · cercass · cerccas · cercsa · cerrcas · crecas
  • cierrasccierras · ceirras · cierars · cieras · cierrass · cierrsa · cireras · icerras

Frequency comparison

cercas#28,280
cierras#30,807

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "cercas" and "cierras" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "cercas" is a noun and "cierras" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "cercas" or "cierras"?
"cercas" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,280 in our Spanish list, against #30,807 for "cierras". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering cercas vs cierras

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “cercas”; for a verb, it's “cierras”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cercas” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list