Which to use
“cerrado” is an adjective and “criado” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,762
- “cerrado” frequency rank
- #9,433
- “criado” frequency rank
- 12195
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cerrado | criado |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | cerrado ¦ plural: cerrados ¦ femenino: cerrada ¦ femenino plural: cerradas | Persona que sirve a otra, o a una familia, como medio de subsistencia. Por lo general se trata de gente humilde, sin estudios, que realiza labores domésticas. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set cerrado and criado apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
cerrado and criado form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12195, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cerrado is recorded at frequency rank #2,762, classified as anadj, pronounced [seˈrað̞o]. criado is at rank #9,433, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈkɾjað̞o].
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 12195, this pair ranks #292,404 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cerrado" and "criado" be used interchangeably?
Remembering cerrado vs criado
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “cerrado”; for a noun, it's “criado”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cerrado” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable