clínicavsclínicoWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#4,142
“clínica” frequency rank
#11,926
“clínico” frequency rank
16068
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature clínica clínico
Definition Parte de la medicina que enseña a observar y curar las enfermedades a la cabecera de los enfermos. Que recibe el bautismo en la cama en la última enfermedad.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set clínica and clínico apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
clínica
7 ch
clínico

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: clínica is [ˈklinika] while clínico is [ˈkliniko]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - a in “clínica” becomes o in “clínico”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16068, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

clínica is recorded at frequency rank #4,142, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈklinika]. clínico is at rank #11,926, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈkliniko].

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 16068, this pair ranks #277,628 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of clínica vs clínico

Shared letters: cilní. Private to "clínica": a. Private to "clínico": o.

"clínica" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV  ·  "clínico" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV

Frequency comparison

clínica#4,142
clínico#11,926

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "clínica" and "clínico" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "clínica" is a noun and "clínico" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "clínica" or "clínico"?
"clínica" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,142 in our Spanish list, against #11,926 for "clínico". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering clínica vs clínico

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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