chichavschochoWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: chicha is a noun, chocho is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“chicha” is a noun and “chocho” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#19,660
“chicha” frequency rank
#32,554
“chocho” frequency rank
52214
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature chicha chocho
Definition Bebida alcohólica de baja graduación fabricada por los aborígenes americanos masticando maíz u otros productos vegetales, y escupiendo lo masticado en un recipiente, para que fermente con ayuda de bacterias que degradan los azúcares obtenidos del almidón por la acción de la ptialina contenida en la saliva. Este método actualmente está proscrito por motivos de higiene. Que sufre deterioro de sus facultades, especialmente las mentales, a causa de la edad.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
chicha
6 ch
chocho

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: chicha is [ˈt͡ʃit͡ʃa] while chocho is [ˈt͡ʃot͡ʃo]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52214, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

chicha is recorded at frequency rank #19,660, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈt͡ʃit͡ʃa]. chocho is at rank #32,554, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈt͡ʃot͡ʃo].

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 52214, this pair ranks #93,841 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of chicha vs chocho

Shared letters: ch. Private to "chicha": ai. Private to "chocho": o.

"chicha" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV  ·  "chocho" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • chichacchicha · chciha · chhicha · chicah · chiccha · chichha · chihca · cihcha
  • chochocchocho · chcoho · chhocho · choccho · chochho · chocoh · chohco · cohcho

Frequency comparison

chicha#19,660
chocho#32,554

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "chicha" and "chocho" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "chicha" is a noun and "chocho" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "chicha" or "chocho"?
"chicha" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,660 in our Spanish list, against #32,554 for "chocho". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering chicha vs chocho

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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