Which to use
“dificultad” is a noun and “dificultan” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,238
- “dificultad” frequency rank
- #29,164
- “dificultan” frequency rank
- 33402
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dificultad | dificultan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Contrariedad u obstáculo que se interpone en la consecución sin complicaciones de algún fin tal como llevar a cabo algo, llegar a algún lugar o comprender algo. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de dificultar. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dificultad and dificultan apart are highlighted. They share 9 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: dificultad is [d̪ifikul̪ˈt̪að̞] while dificultan is [d̪ifiˈkul̪t̪ãn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - d in “dificultad” becomes n in “dificultan”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33402, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dificultad is recorded at frequency rank #4,238, classified as anoun, pronounced [d̪ifikul̪ˈt̪að̞]. dificultan is at rank #29,164, tagged as averb, pronounced [d̪ifiˈkul̪t̪ãn].
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 33402, this pair ranks #197,008 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dificultad vs dificultan
Shared letters: acdfiltu. Private to "dificultad": -. Private to "dificultan": n.
"dificultad" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVCCVC · "dificultan" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- dificultad ← ddificultad · dfiicultad · difciultad · difficultad · dificcultad · dificlutad · dificulatd · dificulltad
- dificultan ← ddificultan · dfiicultan · difciultan · difficultan · dificcultan · dificlutan · dificulatn · dificulltan
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dificultad" and "dificultan" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "dificultad" or "dificultan"?
Remembering dificultad vs dificultan
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “dificultad”; for a verb, it's “dificultan”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dificultad” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable