delgadavsdelgadoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#9,621
“delgada” frequency rank
#5,601
“delgado” frequency rank
15222
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature delgada delgado
Definition Forma del femenino de delgado. De poca anchura corporal.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
delgada
7 ch
delgado

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. delgada ([d̪elˈɣ̞að̞a]) and delgado ([d̪elˈɣ̞að̞o]) 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 a single letter - a in “delgada” becomes o in “delgado”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15222, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

delgada is recorded at frequency rank #9,621, classified as anadj, pronounced [d̪elˈɣ̞að̞a]. delgado is at rank #5,601, tagged as anadj, pronounced [d̪elˈɣ̞að̞o].

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 15222, this pair ranks #281,057 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of delgada vs delgado

Shared letters: adegl. Private to "delgada": -. Private to "delgado": o.

"delgada" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "delgado" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • delgadaddelgada · deglada · delagda · delgaad · delgadda · delgdaa · delggada · dellgada
  • delgadoddelgado · deglado · delagdo · delgaddo · delgaod · delgdao · delggado · dellgado

Frequency comparison

delgada#9,621
delgado#5,601

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "delgada" and "delgado" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([d̪elˈɣ̞að̞a] versus [d̪elˈɣ̞að̞o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "delgada" or "delgado"?
"delgado" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,601 in our Spanish list, against #9,621 for "delgada". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering delgada vs delgado

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 “delgada” 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