cocervscrecerWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“cocer” and “crecer” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#31,266
“cocer” frequency rank
#2,766
“crecer” frequency rank
34032
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature cocer crecer
Definition Cocinar sumergiendo los alimentos en agua muy caliente o hirviendo. De una persona o animal: hacerse más grande, sobre todo en estatura.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
cocer
6 ch
crecer

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. cocer ([koˈseɾ]) and crecer ([kɾeˈseɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34032, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

cocer is recorded at frequency rank #31,266, classified as averb, pronounced [koˈseɾ]. crecer is at rank #2,766, tagged as averb, pronounced [kɾeˈseɾ].

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 34032, this pair ranks #193,582 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of cocer vs crecer

Shared letters: cer. Private to "cocer": o. Private to "crecer": -.

"cocer" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "crecer" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • cocerccocer · ccoer · coccer · cocerr · cocre · coecr · occer
  • crecerccrecer · cercer · crceer · creccer · crecerr · crecre · creecr · creser

Frequency comparison

cocer#31,266
crecer#2,766

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "cocer" and "crecer" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([koˈseɾ] versus [kɾeˈseɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "cocer" or "crecer"?
"crecer" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,766 in our Spanish list, against #31,266 for "cocer". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering cocer vs crecer

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “cocer” 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