complicavscomplicanWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#13,412
“complica” frequency rank
#31,713
“complican” frequency rank
45125
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature complica complican
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de complicar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de complicar.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set complica and complican apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
complica
9 ch
complican

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. complica ([kõmˈplika]) and complican ([kõmˈplikãn]) 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 extra letter(s) - “complica” sits inside “complican”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45125, 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]. complican is at rank #31,713, tagged as averb, pronounced [kõmˈplikãn].

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 45125, this pair ranks #133,253 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of complica vs complican

Shared letters: acilmop. Private to "complica": -. Private to "complican": n.

"complica" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV  ·  "complican" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • complicaccomplica · cmoplica · comlpica · commplica · compilca · complcia · compliac · complicca
  • complicanccomplican · cmoplican · comlpican · commplican · compilcan · complcian · compliacn · complicann

Frequency comparison

complica#13,412
complican#31,713

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "complica" and "complican" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([kõmˈplika] versus [kõmˈplikãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "complica" or "complican"?
"complica" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,412 in our Spanish list, against #31,713 for "complican". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering complica vs complican

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 “complica” 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