Which to use
“desaparecidas” is a participle and “desaparecido” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,016
- “desaparecidas” frequency rank
- #3,624
- “desaparecido” frequency rank
- 16640
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | desaparecidas | desaparecido |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del femenino plural de desaparecido, participio de desaparecer o de desaparecerse. | Se dice de las personas de las que no se sabe dónde se encuentran y tampoco si continúan con vida. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set desaparecidas and desaparecido apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
desaparecidas and desaparecido form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16640, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
desaparecidas is recorded at frequency rank #13,016, classified as aparticiple, pronounced [d̪esapaɾeˈsið̞as]. desaparecido is at rank #3,624, tagged as anadj, pronounced [d̪esapaɾeˈsið̞o].
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 16640, this pair ranks #275,343 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "desaparecidas" and "desaparecido" be used interchangeably?
Remembering desaparecidas vs desaparecido
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a participle, it's “desaparecidas”; for an adjective, it's “desaparecido”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “desaparecidas” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable