Which to use
“delegada” is a participle and “delicada” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,505
- “delegada” frequency rank
- #10,310
- “delicada” frequency rank
- 28815
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | delegada | delicada |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del femenino de delegado, participio de delegar. | Forma del femenino singular de delicado. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set delegada and delicada apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: delegada is [d̪eleˈɣ̞að̞a] while delicada is [d̪eliˈkað̞a]. 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 (participle vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28815, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
delegada is recorded at frequency rank #18,505, classified as aparticiple, pronounced [d̪eleˈɣ̞að̞a]. delicada is at rank #10,310, tagged as anadj, pronounced [d̪eliˈkað̞a].
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 28815, this pair ranks #220,118 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of delegada vs delicada
Shared letters: adel. Private to "delegada": g. Private to "delicada": ci.
"delegada" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV · "delicada" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "delegada" and "delicada" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "delegada" or "delicada"?
Remembering delegada vs delicada
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a participle, it's “delegada”; for an adjective, it's “delicada”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “delegada” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable