Which to use
“complica” and “complicado” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,412
- “complica” frequency rank
- #2,971
- “complicado” frequency rank
- 16383
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | complica | complicado |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de complicar. | Participio de complicar. |
Where the eye mixes complica and complicado
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses complica with complicado
A purely visual mix-up. complica ([kõmˈplika]) and complicado ([kõmpliˈkað̞o]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “complica” sits inside “complicado”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16383, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
complica is recorded at frequency rank #13,412, classified as averb, pronounced [kõmˈplika]. complicado is at rank #2,971, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõmpliˈkað̞o].
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 16383, this pair ranks #276,396 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of complica vs complicado
Shared letters: acilmop. Private to "complica": -. Private to "complicado": d.
"complica" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV · "complicado" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- complica ← ccomplica · cmoplica · comlpica · commplica · compilca · complcia · compliac · complicca
- complicado ← ccomplicado · cmoplicado · comlpicado · commplicado · compilcado · complciado · compliacdo · complicaddo
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "complica" for "complicado" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "complica" or "complicado" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "complica" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "complicado" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #276,396 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "complica" and "complicado" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "compita vs complica". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #276,396 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.